Athletistic / Football. On Friday, March 15, the draw for the 1/2 finals of the RPL Russian Football Cup took place. Zenit and Spartak will play in one of the pairs. The teams will play two matches. The first will take place in Moscow at the Lukoil Arena stadium, and the return will take place in St. Petersburg at the Gazprom Arena stadium. The overall winner will advance to the RPL final, where they will face CSKA or Baltika. The loser will go to the regions.
The confrontation between Zenit and Spartak is one of the main ones in Russian football. Therefore, it always attracts serious attention. If, in addition to two league matches, the teams also meet in the Cup, then it becomes a big football celebration. We invite you to remember all the confrontations between teams in this tournament.
1997: unexpected relegation of Spartak
In recent years, we have become accustomed to the hegemonic status of Zenit. In the 90s, Spartak held this position. The red and white became Russian champions year after year. Sometimes we manage to win the Cup. In 1997, in the quarter-finals, Spartak faced Zenit. Then the victory of the St. Petersburg club was not the most anticipated event. Nevertheless, it happened. The bleus-blancs-bleus won with a score of 1:0 thanks to a goal from Konstantin Lepyokhin.
Zenit failed to win the trophy. In the semi-final, the St. Petersburg club lost to Dynamo Moscow. And Lokomotiv became the winner of the Russian Cup.
2007: Spartak wins on aggregate
In 2007, there were two confrontations in the Russian Cup. In the quarter-finals, Zenit faced Spartak. At the same time, the tournament was held, as it is today, according to the autumn-spring system. In other words, the Russian Cup ended while Zenit’s victorious championship was just beginning.
In the first match, which took place in St. Petersburg at the Petrovsky Stadium, Spartak won with a score of 2:1. Mozart, who converted a penalty, and Artem Dzyuba stood out for the red and white team. Zenit could only respond with a goal from Pavel Pogrebnyak.
The second leg took place in Moscow at the Luzhniki Stadium. Spartak was the first to score a goal. Alexander Prudnikov distinguished himself. Therefore, Pavel Pogrebnyak’s goal in the second half did not help Zenit. Spartak won with a total score of 3:2 and reached the semi-finals.
In the semi-final, Spartak lost to Lokomotiv. It was “Zheleznodorozhniki” who became the winners of the Russian Cup, beating the football club “Moscow”.
2020: Zenit beats Spartak en route to the trophy
In 2020, Zenit and Spartak met in the semi-finals. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the games were not held in the spring. The tournament therefore ended in July. The match took place at the Gazprom Arena stadium. Zenit won with a score of 2:1. In the 24th minute, Artyom Dzyuba gave the St. Petersburg club the lead by converting a penalty. At the end of the first half, Alexander Sobolev equalized the score. However, Daler Kuzyaev immediately gave Zenit the lead again.
Zenit reached the final of the Russian Cup, where they defeated Khimki with a minimal score. Thus, the St. Petersburg club won the trophy. That season, Sergei Semak’s team achieved a golden double.
2022: Spartak success in the group stage of the RPL path
In the 2022/2023 season, the modern Russian Cup format was introduced. The group stage of the RPL path has appeared. “Zenit” and “Spartak” found themselves in the same quartet. If Spartak lost to Zenit in the Russian Championship, then in the Cup Guillermo Abascal’s team had the opportunity to show itself well.
In the third round of the group stage, the teams met in Moscow. Spartak beat Zenit with a score of 3:0. All the goals were scored at the end of the second half. Among the winners, Quincy Promes scored a brace and Alexander Sobolev also scored.
In the fifth round, the teams met in St. Petersburg. During regulation time, the teams failed to score any goals. The match ended in a penalty shootout. There Zenit won with a score of 4:2. The peculiarity was that Zenit’s goal in this match was defended by Brazilian goalkeeper Ivan Quaresma.
“Spartak” took first place in the group, but “Zenith” finished only third and immediately set off for the regions. However, the Cup was not the most successful for both teams – CSKA won the trophy.
Spartak beat Lokomotiv in the RPL quarterfinals, then lost to Ural in the semifinals on aggregate. In the second stage of the regional semifinals, the red and white lost to Akron with a score of 1:2. Earlier, the Tolyatti club eliminated Lokomotiv and Dynamo on penalties, but Spartak in regular time. Zenit defeated Ulyanovsk Volga in the first stage of the 1/4 finals of the regional route. In the second stage, the bleus-blancs-bleus lost to Dynamo Moscow on penalties.
Yaroslav Piatykh, Athletistic
Source: Sport
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