"My heart skipped a beat in the last second": what did they say after Zenit's victory over Khimki in the Russian Cup final

Zenit head coach Sergei Semak admitted that the Russian Cup final turned out to be nervous for him. Until the last second he was not sure that his team would be able to beat Khimki in regulation time.

“My heart skipped a beat in the last second when the ball hit the post. Each team can have one moment per game. The score was slippery, the tension held until the very end. The judge allowed to finish the game in excess of what was possible. We had to score earlier, then there wouldn't be such a valid ending. If you score at the beginning of the meeting, then the game becomes easier. A hard, laborious, absolutely deserved victory. And on that note, we end this season. It turned out very well for us. For ten years, the team did not make the "golden double", that's great. Of course, the Russian championship stands apart, but the Cup is a tournament of character, I would call it that. Each team has a chance, which we have seen, "Semak said immediately after the game on Match TV.

Commenting on the penalty awarded in favor of Zenit, Semak noted that the Khimki players did not protest against him.

“The judicial topic does not interest me. We had to score from the field. I'll look at the penalty. But there are arbitrators who make decisions. And I haven’t heard any claims from my opponent about this penalty, ”the coach told Sport-Express.

Semak also admitted that in the first half his team did not show quality play, and this almost affected the result of the match.

“The first five minutes we played well - we created a couple of chances at the very beginning of the match. And then an invisible lightness played a bad joke on us: the game became very slow, the movements were weak, especially in the attacking and defense lines. I didn't like this state. We misused the ball, moved it badly. We very often simplified the game, acted incorrectly, used little flank defenders. Hence such a lackluster play in the first half. It is impossible to play in power saving mode now. Any scheme will not work without proper movement ", - quotes his words" Championship ".

Khimki mentor Sergei Yuran did not call the performance of his team, which conceded only from the penalty spot, as a feat. He stated that it was not an impossible task to defeat Zenit.

“When we played in the semifinals with Ural, we accomplished a feat. The guys are great: they always listened when we analyzed our opponents. I don’t think we have accomplished a feat today. It would be a feat if we raised the cup. It wasn’t aliens who played against us, so that we could perform feats. The whole team is great. The goalkeeper has done his job, it is not just that they say that the goalkeeper is 50% of the team. But I don't want to highlight anyone. I do not have a depressed state, the guys are also in a good mood. Tomorrow we will arrive, rest and prepare for the first round of the RPL, ”Juran said.

Unlike Semak, Juran doubted the fairness of the appointed penalty. However, he left this episode to the discretion of the judges.

“The penalty is the key moment, the ending of the game. The guys turned to the judge, asked to watch VAR, but for some reason they did not watch the replay. What I saw raises doubts in me. I read the opinion of the judge Igor Fedotov on the Internet, who said that there was a simulation and there was no penalty. I think, probably, the judge understands, ”the Khimki mentor noted.

The author of the only goal scored, Artyom Dzyuba, admitted that before the game he was afraid of unpleasant conversations if the Russian champions fail to beat Khimki.

“There was a certain pressure. Khimki are great, they played very well. Anyone can win a cup match. They had one moment, they forgave us. We could have decided everything earlier. Slightly lacked composure. We understood that if we lose to Khimki, there will be a lot of talk, ”the striker noted.

Dziuba compared this penalty with the penalty kick he had to shoot in the match against Spain at the 2018 World Cup, and also commented on Khimki's last shot, which almost changed the course of the game.

“Penalties are always unpleasant in such matches. Inside it feels like it’s pressing. But after the World Cup with Spain ... It was really scary then. Khimki is a fighting team. Congratulations to them on entering the RPL. No miracle happened. When the ball hit the post, I thought it was already in goal. But I liked that Mikhail Kerzhakov just calmly watched the ball and calmly caught it. A confident guy at our gate, ”said Dziuba.

Khimki defender Ilya Kukharchuk denied the words of Juran and said that the team was going through this defeat hard, which left it without a trophy and a ticket to the Europa League.

“The ideal match would be when we won. And so - 0: 1. What's the perfect match? So they played well, collected. We could have scored, so the team is now despondency and sadness. The coach hasn't said anything yet. Congratulated on the end of the season. I think debriefing will be tomorrow, ”the player described the situation.

Another defender of the Moscow Region team, Yevgeny Gapon, spoke about the penalty.

“There is a judge. I don't know, they watched VAR there. It seems to me that there was no penalty. Malcolm just set himself up. Was he pretending? I dont know. Let the judges figure it out. You can't change anything ... I think, in general, today we have proved that we are worthy of the Premier League. But they lost. We will prepare for the first round. I think everything will be fine with us, ”the footballer noted.

The Minister of Sports of the Moscow Region, Roman Teryushkov, was upset about the defeat of Khimki, but noted that now this team should not get lost in the Russian Premier League, where it entered following the results of the last season.

"Very disappointing. You saw everything yourself. But the team showed that they are more than ready for the RPL. I think Khimki will fight all the giants. We will get together with Sergei Juran and talk about strengthening. Khimki can be proud of this final, this season, they showed character. Thank you very much to the team, Juran. On penalties, let the referee decide. But the fact that Zenit, the grandee of our football, beat Khimki only with a penalty, says a lot, ”Teryushkov said.

The President of the Russian Football Union, Alexander Dyukov, also expressed the opinion after the Russian Cup final that Khimki would become dangerous rivals for other clubs next season.

“This match deserves to be called the final, it turned out to be interesting. There was an intrigue, Khimki lacked quite a bit to transfer the game into extra time. Maybe we would see a penalty shootout. Khimki put up a decent resistance. They are a young, fast, running team that is trying to really play modern football. I think that it will not be easy for all RPL participants against them, "Dyukov said.