Do you remember that Zenit’s worst rival was Krylya Sovetov?
Dmitry Zimin March 30, 2024, 08:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Everything changed almost 20 years ago.
It is unlikely that many will clearly identify the events of April 2006 in Russian football. Although the month is significant, after all, it was then that an interview with Dmitry Alenichev about Alexander Starkov WAS published, and everything else faded into the background. The public was only discussing this. The journalists evaluated every word of the Spartak coach and the statements of other red-and-white veterans. And the matches and events in CSKA, Lokomotiv, Dynamo ceased to have meaning.
In the same period, Zenit, led by Vlastimil Petrzhela, flew to Samara after a difficult home match against Sevilla in the UEFA Cup quarterfinals. It sounds strange now, but then the championship was held according to the “spring-autumn” system. Consequently, the European Cup play-off matches fell at the start of the season. I had to endure and adapt. Samara at that time was no longer the same team that took bronze in 2004, but it was definitely not an outsider that would give up easily.
It’s also important to understand the environment: the crowded Metallurg stadium is a familiar clearing for the hosts, but an inconvenience for everyone else. There was also more local stuff; For example, Samara fans hung a banner dedicated to Anyukov: “Sasha, you are visiting.” Replacing the letter “C” with a dollar sign. Yes, yes, the current Zenit legend was once considered to have sold himself into slavery to Gazprom.
Peter was hardly considered the favorite. And as the game progressed he confirmed it. Yes, at first he missed “Alas”. Anyukov took a penalty, which Alexander Kerzhakov converted. But then David Mujiri took the ball on foot, who created and executed three goals against Vyacheslav Malafeev. The paradox is that the blue and whites acted aggressively, they felt good physical preparation, but it almost never came to fruition. Samara played pragmatically and according to the score. In the end we lost another one, but we won.
Vlastimil Petrzhela
Zenit coach
“I wouldn’t say Krylia beat Zenit. We were simply very wrong. I think the boys still haven’t recovered from the UEFA Cup match, so there were mistakes in the midfield and in defense, and it all ended with Hagen being sent off. However, I don’t have any special complaints about the equipment; They pressed well. I would say that Samara played more disciplined. So the result is natural.”
After the defeat, the St. Petersburg team fell to tenth place. And then they were eliminated from the UEFA Cup. But the most interesting thing is the statistical calculations after the match in Samara. Suddenly it turned out that “Wings” beat Zenit more often than others in the Russian championship. Samara has 11 wins in 23 matches (47.8%), second place for Rotor – nine wins in 20 matches (45%), and only third place for Spartak – nine wins in 22 matches (40.9%). Only one Moscow club is in the top three. What a strange time, when Zenit found it more difficult with regional clubs than with those in the capital. It is true that then history changed drastically. And “Wings” went from being the most uncomfortable opponent to the most comfortable.
“Wings of the Soviets” – “Zenit”, 2006
Photo: old.pfcks.ru
Already in the second round of the 2006 season, Zenit confidently beat the Samara team. And we go. Over the next 18 years, “Wings” only once scored three points in the Russian championship; This happened at the beginning of the 2015/2016 season, when in an incredible match with many chances and a missed penalty by Hulk, St. Petersburg lost 1:3. In 2022, “Wings” also won the Cup. The rest are draws or losses.
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It is clear that Zenit has become much stronger and all the great Wings players have been assigned a path to the best club in advance. That’s why they don’t stay in Samara. But they can’t seem to stop the trend.
