The main part of the match ended in a draw with a score of 3:3. The hosts scored goals from Svetoslav Kovachev in the 4th minute, Ivan Oleynikov in the 14th minute and Vladimir Ilyin in the 69th minute. For Zenit, Ivan Sergeev scored twice in the 27th and 33rd minutes respectively, and Mateo Cassierra scored another goal in the 42nd minute. The guests were luckier in the penalty shootout – 4:2.
The match started very suddenly and in the fourth minute, Akhmat opened the scoring. Kovachev moved from the flank to the penalty area, received a pass and shot directly into the bottom corner. After just 10 minutes, Oleynikov reinforced the hosts’ advantage.
After Akhmat’s double, the St. Petersburg team turned the situation in their favor. Zenit gained more speed and the opponent could no longer follow them. In the 27th minute, Ivan Sergeev scored a goal for his team from a pass from Cassierra. And six minutes later, the striker scored a double, this time from a pass from Alexander Kovalenko.
By the end of the first half, Akhmat’s defense was already tired and allowed Krugovoy to pass, who crossed towards Cassierra. And the Colombian gave Zenit the advantage.
The second half again began with a confident game from the guests, but soon Akhmat also joined the match. The teams created many chances, but failed to score. But 20 minutes before the end, the hosts still managed to score. Kharin passed the ball to Vladimir Ilyin, who completed the episode by tying the score.
In total, the teams made 31 shots. In the final minutes, Zenit had the opportunity to take the lead, but Bystrov interrupted the guests’ attack by receiving a red card. The match ended in a penalty shootout.
Zenit goalkeeper Alexander Vasyutin managed to save two shots in his own goal, and the hosts’ goalkeeper Oparin was able to save only one shot. As a result, Vasyutin brought victory to his team.
“The main thing is that everyone is alive and well. It was an interesting match for the fans. I think it’s nice to watch a match in which a lot of goals are scored. We missed some pretty simple goals, We could have scored more, but normally we couldn’t win.
We will prepare for the next meeting. You can’t dominate the whole match or beat everyone, that’s normal. We will draw conclusions from this match,” Semak said after winning the match.
“I think all cup matches are difficult. They are good because of their unpredictability. Very positive emotions, even though we lost on penalties. Both teams deserved to win. It is clear that both teams wanted to play football,” Romashchenko commented. on defeat.
After winning, the St. Petersburg team received two points and took second place in the group, but Akhmat still has a chance to compete for second place.
Yahya Hasanov, Athletistic
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Source: Sport
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
