“Spartak” threw “Zenith”

“The term ‘Zenith’ sometimes means the highest point, path, or level reached by a celestial body on its daily apparent path around a given point of observation,” Wikipedia says. So on the evening of September 29, Moscow “Spartak” threw St. Petersburg “Zenith” from the top of Russian football. At least in one single match.

Cup of Russia. Group B. Tushino. Spartak 3:0 Zenit. Goals: Promes, 79, 90+6, Sobolev, 87.

Before the start of the game, fans of the St. Petersburg club hung out a banner in memory of the victims of the tragedy at the Izhevsk school, and the match itself began with a moment of silence.

For the first time since 2017, the Red and Whites defeated Zenit in an official match. The last time the St. Petersburg club lost at least three goals in official matches was in December 2020 – then the blue-white-blue lost to Brugge in the Champions League – 0:3. Such is dry statistics, which, however, does not matter to the fans and fans of the “people’s” team, of which, by the way, very few came to the game …

And “Spartak” interrupted the 11-match losing streak in the confrontation with “Zenith”. And he did it not only beautifully and big, but also quite skillfully – both in terms of the game, and in terms of tactics, and in terms of being charged for the result. The St. Petersburg club for the second time in the season (the first was in Khimki as part of the starting round of the RPL) entered the field with gold medals and with foppish self-confidence. And it doesn’t matter that it’s the Cup, another tournament – but the captivating mood of Semak’s wards “climbed” from all holes and crevices. Yes, and in the Cup of the country “Zenith” two weeks ago lost to “Wings of the Soviets”. The trend, however…

In the capital, Sergei Bogdanovich, as he himself admitted at the post-match press conference, made a mistake with the choice of the squad. And if the absence of Wilmar Barrios, who returned too late from the location of the Colombian national team, and the disqualified Claudinho was forced, then the transfer to the reserve of Mikhail Kerzhakov, Dejan Lovren and Andrey Mostovoy was dictated by the decision of the head coach. But even if this is so, then the St. Petersburg “masters” who entered the field in Tushino had no right to allow themselves to handle the ball and the game in general in such an imposing manner. One lap for an incomplete first half, due to foppishness in dribbles of an opponent and heel passes to teammates, lost a round four times. Then I stopped counting.

Guillermo Abascal put up 3-5-2 against St. Petersburg, and Georgy Jikia, Ruslan Litvinov and Pavel Maslov made up the top three. Spartak also had not everyone in the ranks at the derby of the two capitals: Danil Prutsev, who “drowned” in yellow cards, was added to the injured Victor Moses and Christopher Martins Pereira, as well as Keita Balda, who was suspended for doping. Another “innovation” from the young Spartak coach – the left-footed Klassen is located on the right, and the right-footed Daniil Khlusevich is on the left.

Muscovites in the first half played with quick attacks and set pieces, the drawing of which regularly led to dangerous episodes at the gates of Ivan Quaresma. “Sleep” in defense, and did not help the new goalkeeper of “Zenith” Dmitry Chistyakov and Rodrigao. They allowed Roman Zobnin and Alexander Sobolev to disturb the goalkeeper, and more than once. Quincy Promes also looked like an energizer: a couple of times the Dutchman shot dangerously from outside the penalty area, and at the end of the half he was honored with a header. It was Ivan, the goalkeeper of the guests, who saved Peter from two goals in the first half of the match.

His partners from the very starting whistle of Vitaly Meshkov (who “spoiled” a couple of times with the definition of violations of the rules) moved around the field exclusively as “academicians with canes”. The neglect of the attacking game was clear, it was clear that the guests reacted to the opponent without reverence. For which they were punished, however, already in the second half. Hits by Malcolm and Kuzyaev on Maksimenko’s goalposts are all that Zenit can bring to its asset. If there is one after a big loss.

It seems like with the beginning of the second half, Semak’s wards gained control of the ball, locked the opponents in their thirds and began to stretch the defense. But without Claudinho, positional attacks were not dangerous, without Barrios the middle line became discontinuous, and Gustavo Mantuan was completely lost between Litvinov and Maslov. Ivan Sergeev looked absolutely “sour” (zero intelligible actions), and Cassierra, who came out, “ruined” two moments, where with his inaccurate passes he deprived his partners of exits on his own.

Semak’s substitutions not only strengthened the game, they “buried” it. First, Rodrigao lost a football projectile not far from the penalty area, Chistyakov “slept through” Promes’s rush, which only had to “shoot” Ivan, who had been left by everyone.

One goal, even from Spartak, even on its field, is definitely not a sentence, especially for Zenit. But, apparently, on this day the stars were on the side of the red and white. The guests got nervous, and Spartak threw off the throne (in a single match) the hegemon of the last five years. At the 86th minute, Sobolev received kilometers of freedom and literally drove the leather sphere into the corner of the Zenith goal. And the rout was completed by the same Promes, who scored a double with a perfect blow.

This has not happened for a long time, but it’s worth recognizing that Spartak outplayed Zenit in the case, “losing its nose” to the dudes for their self-confidence.

The question of the correspondent of our publication to the head coach of Spartak was whether he considers this victory a coaching one? “No, I don’t think so. This victory gives confidence. I’m glad you managed to break the streak. For a long time it was not possible to win “Zenith”. We met 3 times. In this match, the most important thing was to administer. It is important. I can’t talk about tactics: we had young players, the 2000s. We must move on with our heads held high,” Abascal answered so beautifully.

For the Zenit coach, I had two questions. The first is about the foppish game of his players. “This is not foppery. We don’t have dudes on the team. This is emotional emasculation. Each team, playing against us, wants to interrupt some series. Such matches. Our task is to bring the team together after such matches. So that there are as few such matches as possible, ”Sergey Bogdanovich almost calmly took this question.

The second question concerned specific players, in particular Cassierra. “As for Cassierra, this is a technical marriage. Those who didn’t play well enough already heard it from me in the locker room. I don’t think that only Malcolm and Wendel play here. We have a team game, game actions are evenly distributed. Most of today played below their capabilities. I am satisfied with the team, the players that we have. Sergeev and Cassierra suit us. I wish they scored more. But the goals will come, ”Zenith coach Sergei Semak answered in detail.

Fans of “Spartak” definitely could not fall asleep that night …

Vladimir Sabadash.

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