Pre-match spreads
Zenit and Fenerbahce approached the head-to-head match within the PARI Cup under different conditions. The blue and whites have already managed to play two games, and the match with the Istanbulians completed their performance in the tournament. For its part, Ismail Kartal’s team had just arrived in St. Petersburg, and from this game their campaign for the prizes was just beginning. Sergei Semak after the defeat of Red Star Zvezda slightly changed the composition. Anton Vasyutin appeared at the gate from the first minutes, Wilmar Barrios also opened the game at the start. The situation of the Petersburgers was complicated by the fact that in order to maintain the chance of winning a trophy, they needed to win as big as possible. And from the very first minutes, the home team tried to convince the fans – thoughts about the match for the Russian Super Cup have so far remained on the sidelines – while it is necessary to solve current problems.
unplanned loss
The first dangerous moment of the match occurred, which is not surprising, at the gates of the Turkish club. But Casierra, having received the ball in a convenient position, for some reason did not hit, but tried to give it to an empty corner of Mantua, who was ahead of the defender. And very soon, the Zenit coaching staff and fans had a much more serious cause for alarm. After two consecutive hard contacts with Fenerbahce players, Claudinho fell to the grass grabbing his knee. At first it might seem that everything worked out, but after a short return to the game, the Brazilian still asked for a replacement. A young Dmitry Vasilyev appeared on the field. After that, the St. Petersburg players, eagerly looking towards the bench, where one of the team leaders attended, continued to look for access to the rival area. Shortly after half an hour of play, the Istanbulites broke through, but Anton Vasyutin did not even really have to enter the game. But the pressure on the gates of Eghribayat intensified. The goal, as they say, was brewing – in one of the episodes, Mantouan frankly forgave Fenerbahce. However, the teams went into the break with zero on the scoreboard.
A fruitless search for happiness.
Before the start of the second half, Sergei Semak did not organize a massive rotation of the team, limiting himself to two substitutions: Mikhail Kerzhakov took the place at the gate, and Alexander Kovalenko replaced Wilmar Barrios. Ismail Kartal refrained from reshuffling at all. With every minute, Zenit’s chances of a big win they needed were fading; Furthermore, the Istanbulites were able to take control of the ball for some time. Meanwhile, the fans are clearly expecting goals.
Kerzhakov show
A new “substitution window” opened shortly after the end of an hour of play. But the sharpness at the gates of Egribayat did not increase after the release of the new Alip, Mostovoy and Bakaev. Kartal’s coaching decisions did not yield the desired dividends for the Turkish specialist either. The game went smoothly until a penalty shootout that, from a tournament point of view, only suited Fenerbahce, who have two more games to go. Sergei Ivanov’s final whistle meant that Zenit had lost their chance to win a trophy. But ending the home tournament on a positive note was a matter of principle for the Petersburgers. The fate of the penalty shootout was decided by two graceful saves from Mikhail Kerzhakov. 4:3 – Zenit won, but Claudinho’s health is of course more important now.
