Zenit and Lokomotiv went the right way
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In the fifth round of the group stage of the Fonbet Russian Cup, Zenit beat Baltika with a score of 2:1. The victory brought the St. Petersburgers ahead of schedule to the quarterfinals of the “Path of the Russian Premier League.” Lokomotiv also solved this problem, beating Rostov – 3:1.
The home match with Baltika was a good opportunity for Zenit not only to get even for the cup defeat in Kaliningrad, but also to partially rehabilitate itself for its recent failures in the championship, where the St. Petersburg team lost twice in a row. The seriousness of their attitude was evidenced by the starting line-up, which looked very respectable based on the names. Even team leader Wendel was in it, having previously played only one half in the group stage, and in three meetings was not included in the squad at all and received an additional day off.
Meanwhile, Baltika in the Russian Cup and the championship are like two different teams. If in one tournament she is in penultimate, 15th place, then in another she performs much more successfully and unexpectedly took the lead in her group. Even now, the Kaliningraders did not hesitate at all at the Gazprom Arena, which mentally crushes many of Zenit’s rivals. They could well have opened the scoring if not for the hosts’ goalkeeper Denis Adamov, who had difficulty pulling the ball out from under the crossbar after Kirill Malyarov’s shot. And even when the St. Petersburgers did this through the efforts of Ivan Sergeev, who easily broke away from the guard, dribbled around goalkeeper Maxim Borisko and shot under the bar, the guests were not upset and quickly reacted to the missed goal.
Tamerlan Musaev, who assisted the same Malyarov, this time became the author of the assist. He beat Douglas Santos twice on the left flank, burst into the penalty area and fired powerfully across the goal. Adamov interrupted the flight of the ball, but returned it right to the feet of Kristijan Bistrovich, who hit the empty target. Moreover, before the break, Baltika had a couple more chances, both with the participation of Gedeon Guzina. First, for some reason, the Bosnian striker did not adjust to Maxim Kuzmin’s convenient serve, and then his header was parried by Adamov.
Zenit’s performance did not suit the coaching staff of Sergei Semak so much that during the break he made as many as three substitutions.
Three more main players appeared on the field – central defender Nuraly Alip, defensive midfielder Vilmar Barrios and forward Mateo Cassierra. At the same time, the release of the championship’s top scorer, apparently, was not initially planned, since Semak himself said that Cassierra was not yet fully ready due to health problems.
In the second half, Zenit improved and turned its big advantage into a goal. It was scored by Do Queiroz with the help of Cassierra, who worked the ball for his partner after a pass from Gustavo Mantuan. Probably, only after this the hosts felt confident in the final result, especially since they soon released Claudinho, strengthening the squad as much as possible. Wendel had a great chance to finish off Baltika, but Borisko saved her.
However, a minimal advantage was enough for the St. Petersburgers to win, because the Kaliningraders were no longer going well in attack.
Only in the end did the guests earn two corners, but after the second set piece they ran into a counterattack, which almost led to a goal by Wendel, who missed the ball into an empty net.
Having won 2:1, Zenit with 11 points rose to first place in Group C and guaranteed itself a ticket to the quarterfinals of the RPL Path. True, Baltika has nothing to worry about with its nine points – in any case, it will continue to play in the tournament.
Meanwhile, in group B, all three playoff participants have already been determined. “Rubin” dropped out of the competition early, losing to “Ural” – 0:2. The Kazan team had four points left, while the Ekaterinburg team with eight points surpassed Rostov in additional indicators.
The club from the banks of the Don met with Lokomotiv away in the fifth round, but immediately made it clear that it was only interested in the outcome of the match.
Already in the first half, Anton Miranchuk practically ensured the victory for the hosts, although he did not convert a penalty in the opening. But then Timur Suleymanov scored with his luxurious vertical throw into the penalty area, after which the midfielder himself scored with an accurate shot from Nair Tiknizyan’s pass.
Maxim Glushenkov, who came on as a substitute in the second half, once again upset goalkeeper Nikita Medvedev, beautifully dealing with him one on one. But the Rostovites were clearly late with their substitutions and only managed to organize a prestige goal on duty from a corner. A 3:1 victory allowed Lokomotiv to lead the group with ten points and reach the quarterfinals of the RPL Path.
“The RPL Way”
Group stage. Fifth round
Group B “Ural” — “Rubin” 2:0 (Egorychev, 40; Bikfalvi, 56). Lokomotiv – Rostov 3:1 (Suleymanov, 34; Miranchuk, 39; Glushenkov, 59 – Osipenko, 85. Missed penalty: Miranchuk 7).
Group B table
I V N P M O
1. “Lokomotiv” 5 3 0 2 7:4 10
2. “Ural” 5 3 0 2 5:4 8
3. Rostov 5 3 0 2 5:6 8
4. “Ruby” 5 1 0 4 3:6 4
Group C. “Zenit” — “Baltika” 2:1 (Sergeev, 18; Queiroz, 64 – Bistrovich, 24).
I V N P M O
1. Zenit 5 4 0 1 8:5 11
2. Baltika 5 3 0 2 8:6 9
3. “Akhmat” 4 1 0 3 6:8 4
4. “Wings of the Soviets” 4 1 0 3 5:8 3
The Krylya Sovetov-Akhmat match will take place today. Lokomotiv and Zenit reached the playoffs “the RPL way”.
For a win in regulation time, 3 points are awarded, for a win in a penalty shootout – 2, for a loss in a penalty shootout – 1.
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