What a fire the 30th round of the RPL was! Dynamo lost to Krasnodar and lost the title. But the “bulls” did not emerge champions either. “Zenit” beat “Rostov” at home and took the sixth consecutive gold! Below is the reaction of the main characters, officials and experts to the main day of the season.
Results of the main match of the RPL season:
RPL championship match in which everyone lost
The president of RPL is delighted with the contest.
The head of the league, Alexander Alaev, is very happy:
“I hope we always have fight and competition until the last round. That’s why I congratulate all the fans, because this is a real gift for football fans. For me, this is a super championship. Once again, with victory, Zenit, to all those who solved their problems. And to those who could not decide and maintain their registration in the RPL, we wish you to return, as Khimki did. Congratulations to everyone on the incredible finish to this great championship.
When can we expect a champion change? You and I need to enjoy this moment. Zenit and all the others played 30 games. This means that someone was unlucky or there were other football mistakes. But everyone realized that they could fight for the championship and the game became more fluid. We look forward to the same race next year.”
Alexander Alaev
Photo: Sergey Apenkin, “Championship”
RFU General Secretary Maxim Mitrofanov mentioned the main reason for Zenit’s championship: “Zenit’s success is that Semak built such a team. A large number of fans. “15 teams may not be happy with this, but it is a fact.”
What they say at Zenit. Semak believes that the team was the best of the entire season
The leaders of the champion club remained silent.
“The first emotions are extremely positive. Was everything decided beforehand? Under no circumstances,” said the president of the club’s board of directors, Alexander Medvedev.
Alexander Medvedev
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, “Championship”
And the president of the board of directors of Zenit, Elena Ilyukhina, spoke of nerves: “We are champions! How can you not be nervous in a game like this? But she survived and became stronger, like all of us.”
What did Zenit coach Sergei Semak say? Who, by the way, after the match, right in the stands, signed a new contract with the club until 2030.
Sergey Semak
Zenit coach
“Throughout the entire season we were the best, but we were not always lucky enough to achieve this superiority. All the guys are great. The more difficult the season, the more valuable the victory will be. All our rivals deserved the fight we saw throughout the championship until the last minutes. In the parallel match we don’t tell the players the result until we start losing. So they decided to say it. The goals Arthur scored certainly speak to his importance and usefulness. Furthermore, these balls are just the starting point for your future progress. The same thing happens with Pedro.”
Saint Petersburg goalkeeper Mikhail Kerzhakov is also happy: “Do you still have the strength to be happy? Certainly. We’re just getting started! It turns out to be the most difficult championship. The previous ones were easier. This championship will be remembered for its end and outcome. I won’t tell you again what happened in the locker room. A broken season, we lost a lot of points, we lost goals in the last minutes, we did everything to keep the intrigue until the last round. Our competitors did not take advantage of our failures.”
Zenit defender Nino won his first RPL gold. The Brazilian arrived in Saint Petersburg in the winter of 2024 and immediately became an important footballer: “I always believed in the championship. I had no doubt that everything was in our hands, because I knew that Dynamo would be very difficult in Krasnodar. We were asked to do our part of the job efficiently, play our match successfully and win. This is a very important title for me, because I haven’t seen my wife and son for several months; They are in Brazil. I really wanted to win the title and dedicate it to them. “The first title at a new club is always a memorable moment.”
But Wendel, who has played for Zenit since 2020, admitted that the current trophy is the coolest of his career in St. Petersburg: “It was the most exciting title since I came here. Not only did we depend on ourselves, but we never stopped believing. This season we have been in difficult situations, but we always come back. “Every championship has a story and this year was special.”
“Krasnodar”: Musaev is happy with second place and Safonov solved Dynamo’s problem
The result of the match in Krasnodar did not give the title to any of its participants. Dynamo was separated from the trophy by one goal, Krasnodar was separated by a goal lost by Zenit’s Rostov. After the match, Bulls coach Murad Musaev noted that the last match was the most important in the club’s history.
Murad Musaev
head coach of Krasnodar
“There are many emotions. We are happy for the victory. There was a fantastic atmosphere. The city lived for this game, everyone was talking about it. We could have competed for the championship, there were many possibilities. But it does not work. Second place is the best result. We gave it our all. There were more individual and team conversations before this game. Nobody gave up, everyone worked until the end. I told the guys we did everything we could. I think it was the most important game in the history of the club. But today I will celebrate the fans. The way they supported us today is incredible. But this is the most important game. There were chances of becoming champions. But we please the public. I’m glad for this. Am I tired of Zenit’s sixth championship? I’m not tired of it. “I only think about my team.”
Matvey Safonov may have played his last game for Krasnodar. The goalkeeper is close to moving to PSG. Meanwhile, Matvey achieved the greatest achievement in history with Krasnodar – silver medals.
“The result of the match against Dynamo is certainly good, because the club did not have it better,” said Safonov. – Only bronze, and now silver. Still, this is a good result for the team. But the point is another: we had a good chance of being closer to the championship. It was a really tough tournament that showed that any team can take points from any other team.
It is clear that everyone wanted the championship. Everyone wanted and believed, even in the last seconds of this match. But something was missing. This refers to missed opportunities in previous matches. That’s why everyone is upset today, because they understood that there were possibilities. I didn’t know how the account developed in St. Petersburg. Once again, we ourselves are to blame for our abilities. As for Dynamo, you can’t aspire to the championship if you expect them to not score against you. Yes, you are 0-0 champions, but what if they score against you? “After a corner in the first minute they went to their own goal.”
Matvey Safonov
Photo: RIA Novosti
It is possible that Eduard Spertsyan will also leave Krasnodar. After the match, the midfielder noted that no one else could celebrate the championship in the club’s stadium:
“We lost the opportunity to become champions before. That’s why today here not everything depended on us. Our job was to win and please the fans, because no one else should be celebrating the championship in our stadium. Playing at home we couldn’t play any other way. Seconds are seconds. It’s the first time in the history of Krasnodar, so it’s a good result. We should be proud of this. This is a great experience for the future of all players.
It’s hard to say why they lost their lead and championship during the season. There were many times when we lost points. For example, there was a home match against Akhmat. So eventually you start thinking about these games. Because if we had drawn with Akhmat, it would have been a kind of advantage. Of course, we can say that two rounds before the end we lost our last chance. I think the tears after the game are a waste of emotions for the entire season. Of course, I had no tears. I was upset, but I understood that everything could have been solved sooner. How would you rate the season on a scale of five? “A plus or a minus.”
Which of the authors of the “Championship” guessed the name of the RPL champion?
11 versions of the results of round 30 from the authors of the “Championship”. There are also fantastic forecasts!
Goalkeeper Stanislav Agkatsev said that next season Krasnodar will go for gold: “It’s a shame, I won’t hide it, it’s very offensive. I hoped that we would be lucky, that Rostov would not lose and we would be left with gold medals. It happened that way. We will fix this next season. I agree that we lost the championship not now, but in previous matches. Something was missing. I don’t know if the change of coach had any effect. “Every coach has his own ideas.”
Dynamo’s reaction. They promise a new trailer and thanks for the season.
Dynamo missed the chance to win its first gold in 48 years. The chairman of the club’s board of directors, Dmitry Gafin, stated that Russian football benefited from the championship race:
“I thank our fans for their support and patience. Unfortunately we couldn’t take the last step, we were unlucky: their limit was exhausted in previous matches. But I am sure that we will try to bring the fans what they dream of next season.
I don’t want to evaluate today’s game. Today Dynamo lost, but Russian football won. The glow was so pure! “Krasnodar” and “Dynamo” took important steps to make the public believe in the honesty of our championship and the intrigue. We missed the last step, there were two bars, dangerous moments. This happens in football. “We met the goal of the season, but we ended it with a very bitter taste because we were very close to exceeding the goal.”
And Dynamo coach Marcel Licka made a nice gesture. He attended the post-match press conference with his assistants, asked not to ask questions and gave a brilliant monologue.
Marcel Lická
Dinamo head coach
“There is no need to ask questions about today’s game. There will be no comments on this topic. The season is over. I want to thank all the people who are now behind me. They helped the team and me. There is a medical headquarters, a technical staff, an administrative headquarters and a team leader. These people tried to do everything to create comfortable conditions. A few weeks ago no one thought that we were going to fight for the title until the end. The players who are now sitting in the locker room crying have done a fantastic job. They gave the fans confidence that they could fight for the title. Thousands of fans came to the hotel. It was not enough. This is football, this is life. Through you I would like to thank the Dynamo club and the boys who are now in the locker room. Thank you for the emotions you gave me, among other things.”
Marcel also spoke about the headquarters behind him: “The people behind me work every day. You see me all the time after games. At press conferences, on television, in the newspapers. But you don’t see the work of these people. Please write some beautiful words about them. OK? We are one team. We are like one person. Oh, now Chef Roma isn’t here. Write about him too. Thank you so much”.
Dynamo leader Konstantin Tyukavin said that the team had a good “B” season:
“A month and a half ago we didn’t think that when we went to Krasnodar we would fight for first place. Everyone knew and saw how many points we were behind. But a miracle happened: we scored in the last seconds. It just so happened that today we had to come and win. But it was difficult to play against Krasnodar. I want to thank our fans. They gave us a very good welcome to the game. I wouldn’t say we’re exhausted. “Krasnodar” was running, they had nothing left to do. They’re great. Their stadium propelled them forward. How can you not believe in victory? If we didn’t believe it, what would be the point of playing this game today? We believed, but today luck was not on our side. I haven’t heard of any curses. On a five-point scale, this Dynamo season can be rated four or more.”
Konstantin Tyukavin
Photo: RIA Novosti
The lost trophy is a tragedy for Fedor Smolov. The 34-year-old striker was once again left without RPL gold.
“We had no intention of playing for a tie,” Smolov said. — Marcel said at the facility that we will only play to win. We must pay tribute to Krasnodar, who came out and were the most motivated in the last seven games. It was clear that they were determined to win and we, unfortunately, could not cope with the pressure and importance of this match. The fact that we were able to draw and achieve the desired result played a cruel joke on us.
How disappointing is it that this was the last chance to become Russian champion? The emotions are such that I haven’t thought about it yet. But I told Seryoga Parshivlyuk because he feels it more. I wrote to my wife that he was not destined to become Russian champion in my career. It’s frustrating. Of course I’m ready [остаться в «Динамо» на следующий сезон]. We have a great team. Our potential championship was decided today, so yeah. The craziest championship of your career? I think so. Because today three teams could be champions, I don’t remember. And the last time the championship was played in the last round was in 2016.”
More about Smolov’s drama:
“I am not destined to become champion of Russia.” New tragedy of Fyodor Smolov
