"We cannot do without adventure": what did they say after Zenit's victory over Lokomotiv in the match for the Russian Super Cup

Zenit won the Russian Super Cup for the fifth time in history and not only successfully started the 2020/21 season, but also took revenge from Lokomotiv for the defeat a year ago. Then Yuri Semin's wards prevailed with a score of 3: 2, and Serdar Azmun and Alexey Miranchuk were noted as doubles in the opponents. This time the teams scored only three goals for two, and Artyom Dzyuba, Magomed Ozdoev and Vedran Chorluka distinguished themselves.

Nevertheless, Lokomotiv has twice surpassed Zenit in the number of shots on goal, and the ending turned out to be quite tense. Therefore, it is not surprising that the head coach of St. Petersburg residents Sergei Semak was not completely satisfied with the actions of his charges.

“There were some mistakes, after all, this is the first game after the break. But insignificant. Let's move on. Victories are wonderful! " - Semak quotes "Championship".

At the same time, the mentor noted that the victory was not easy, and also drew attention to the principled nature of this confrontation. And this is not surprising, because in recent years it is Lokomotiv that has been the main opponent of Zenit in the Russian championship.

“Today we were both nervous and worried - football without emotions is empty. The value of this match is high, they wanted to win. The ending was really nervous, but we were able to show our best qualities in terms of desire, movement. It was not easy to get ready for the final, but the team was charged to win, ”the mentor said.

During the meeting, three athletes managed to be in the role of Zenit captain, but from the first minutes Dzyuba appeared with a bandage. This became possible after the departure of Branislav Ivanovic, whose contract with the club expired.

“Dziuba's captaincy is my decision. We'll see for the season. I gave the bandage to Ozdoev because he has been in the team for a long time. Kerzhakov could have been, but he was far away. This issue is not the most important for us, "Semak admitted.

The head coach replaced Dziuba in the 81st minute, which caused bewilderment not only among fans and journalists, but also among Artyom himself. As the mentor explained, the reason for this decision was the presence of microtrauma in the attacker. The last time he left the field during the match was in the 26th round of the RPL. Then Zenit turned out to be stronger than Krasnodar and guaranteed itself gold medals. 

Dejan Lovren's debut was another highlight. The former Liverpool defender arrived at the team's location only on August 2, and five days later he first entered the field with new partners.

“Lovren looked very good today. It is not easy to start playing in a new club without having any friendly matches or control matches. But he showed himself well, "Semak praised.

Finally, the specialist shared his opinion on the transfer of central defender Emmanuel Mammana. The Argentinian came to St. Petersburg from Lyon in the status of a talented defender, but constant injuries have not yet allowed him to prove himself 100%. As it became known, now he will have to fight for a place at the base of not Zenit, but Sochi, in which he will spend a year on loan.

“The management knows my wishes for strengthening the team. Mamman, unfortunately, missed almost two years. He needs to get practice, plus he's the ninth legionnaire. We can't give him that long to get in shape. And then we will see how he plays in Sochi. Perhaps we will return it, ”concluded Semak.

Unlike his counterpart, for the head coach of Lokomotiv, this meeting for the Russian Super Cup was his debut in his career. Marko Nikolic congratulated Zenit on the victory and told what his players need to work on in the near future.

“We didn't convert our chances, it wasn't such a bad match on our side, but we should be more specific in attack. The opponents scored twice, and we only scored once ... Good atmosphere at the stadium. It is a pity that we did not win, "RIA Novosti quotes Nikolic.

At the same time, the mentor did not respond to a request to evaluate the actions of midfielder Anton Miranchuk. The midfielder became the author of the assist, but in the 81st minute he was replaced by Dmitry Rybchinsky.

“Football is a collective game. What I need to say personally, I will say in the dressing room, ”said Nikolic.

The expert also shared his opinion on limiting the number of fans at the stadium due to the danger of the spread of coronavirus. Nikolic admitted that he was glad to see the fans in the stands and said that he did not see football in the absence of spectators.

“I hope there will be more of them in the future, although you have to be careful. I would be happy if the stadium was 100% full, ”Nikolic concluded.

The players of the losing team dispensed with the press, and Dzyuba took the floor from the winners. The newly minted captain and author of the first goal shared his impressions of another triumph and highly appreciated the actions of the partners.

“Insanely nice. Delightful emotions. Moreover, Lokomotiv is probably the most uncomfortable opponent. They played well today. We waited. The first goal is an amazing pass from Douglas. The second - Malcolm with Seba (Sebastian Driussi. - RT ) played, and just a space goal from Magi. I think they should have named Magomed Ozdoev the best player, ”Dziube told the Zenit press service.

The Russian forward also expressed the opinion that the ending could have turned out more calm if Zenit had not created problems for themselves.

“But we cannot do without adventure. Instead of quietly finishing 2: 0, we conceded a goal, and a nervous game began. It's good that it ended this way. The main thing is to get into history, trophies don't smell, ”says Dzyuba.

Also, the Russian again noted his partner in the line of attack Serdar Azmun. Dziuba jokingly compared him to the character of a famous cartoon.

“I would have got a little tan, the price would not have been there. Count Dracula! I don't know how old Serdar is. The main thing is that he has an amazing hairstyle. We are like Mufasa and Scar. He is still waiting to throw me off the cliff, ”the footballer joked.

At the same time, he thanked the blue-white-blue medical staff, noting that without their help he would not have been able to appear on the field in the meeting for the Russian Super Cup.

The author of the winning goal, Magomed Ozdoev, expressed the opinion that Zenit deserved the third trophy of the year and admitted that the athletes worked hard for him in training.

“We are very happy ... It's great to win everything you can in Russia in one year. You can say make a treble. We are very pleased, ”Ozdoev admitted.

The midfielder also said that the Petersburgers lacked Ivanovich and expressed the opinion that the Serb also deserved the opportunity to celebrate another success.

“I would like him to be here, to share the joy with us. He also did a great job. I want to say a big thank you to the fans who have supported us all this time. With the victory! " - concluded Ozdoev.