“There is a point of view that possession of the ball is meaningless if the team does not score. To some extent this is true, but there are nuances. The team that controls the ball has more opportunities to create scoring chances, it’s also a kind of defense. You can fight back, or you can just hold the ball. When you have it, it’s harder for your opponent to score. In addition, it provides a psychological advantage and you are less physically tired when you have the ball at your disposal.
When the first half ended in a draw, it could be seen that the teams were tied in terms of the number of scoring chances. Zenit’s Ivan Sergeev could have scored, as could Krylia’s Nikita Saltykov. But due to the fact that Semak’s team kept the ball longer, they had an advantage. It was not for nothing that Alexander Soldatenkov said that it was difficult for the Samara team to play without the ball.
But despite the advantage, the St. Petersburg team failed to score due to slow play. The “Wings” managed to rebuild, creating a dense defense. Even though it was clear that Krylya Sovetov was playing to the limit, Zenit could increase the pace and increase the pressure. And that’s what happened: Semak’s team increased its speed, began to break through the opponent’s defense and scored three goals. By the way, they could have scored a fourth goal, but Alexander Erokhin was unlucky,” Bubnov said, as quoted by Sportbox.
- Tarkhanov: “Now Zenit has a different mindset for matches”
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.
