“Zenith” hasn’t found its game yet, but “Spartacus” has gotten away with it. Abascal lost again to Semak

The meeting ended with the victory of the guests with the score 3:1. Wendel and Mateo Cassierra scored for the winners in the 73rd and 90+4 minutes respectively, Spartak defender Georgiy Jikia netted an own goal in the 32nd minute. The hosts scored an 81st-minute goal, Alexander Sobolev.

After this victory, “Zenith” climbed to fourth place with 10 points. Above, “Krasnodar”, “Ural” and “Dynamo”, respectively.

For “Spartacus” it was the second defeat of the season. Previously, the wards of Abascal lost to the Urals.

‘Spartacus’ tried to start the game with high pressure and difficult selection from the opponent’s penalty area, but it only resulted in one hit. “Zenith” took the ball and acted better on the field. Then the St. Petersburg club scored. Wendel struck from the penalty area and Jikia’s ricocheted ball flew into the goal. The first half of the match ended in favor of the guests.

At the start of the second half, Abascal took out Umyarov and Bongond. This helped the reds and whites add to the attack, but the Muscovites failed to score and conceded the second goal. Wendel this time without a rebound sends the ball into the skylight.

“The team wanted to win at all costs. We started well. There were chances, but we couldn’t convert them. In the second half, except for a few moments, everything was fine. We could have drawn. I think the result is unfair. We will continue to work and correct the mistakes,” Abascal said after the game.

In the last ten minutes, “Spartacus” still managed to get closer to a draw. The chief referee of the match Karasev named a penalty at the gates of the “Zenith”. Red and white striker Alexander Sobolev easily took the penalty.

‘Spartacus’ had a chance to escape defeat, but ‘Zenith’ still moved the game to someone else’s half. And in the 90+4th minute, Cassierra scored the third goal. As a result, the meeting ended with the victory of “Zenith” with the score 3:1.

“Emotional game. Congratulations to the team for the victory. I enjoyed the game very much. Spartak knew how we would play and we knew how they would play. They have great competition in attack. Without the penalty they would have finished the game more calmly”, – said Semak after winning the game.

“Spartacus” suffered for the second consecutive defeat. Abascal’s team can’t solve their problems in defense in any way and are experimenting a lot in attack. Obviously, Abascal needs to resolve these issues as soon as possible.

“Zenith” now no longer looks like a champion. Semak’s wards have apparently not yet recovered after the departure of key players. But Wendel decided to prove that after Malcolm’s departure he could become the main star of the Russian championship.

Yahya Gasanov, Athletistic