It’s too early to crown Zenit. Semak’s team sensationally lost to Rubin

Zenit unexpectedly lost to Kazan at home in the match of the 21st round of the WORLD RPL.

After the victory of the St. Petersburg team in Krasnodar, it seemed that the race for gold this season was over. The current champion increased his lead over his main competitor to four points, and most importantly, he gained a solid psychological advantage.

Following the results of Wednesday’s matches, the situation in the table changed again. Krasnodar defeated Baltika (3:2) at home, but Zenit sensationally lost to Rubin. With five rounds left, the gap between the “blue-white-blues” and their closest pursuer is again only one point.

Dupin is the hero of the first half

Sergei Semak made three changes to the starting lineup compared to the previous game against Orenburg (1:0). Niko’s pairing in the center of defense this time was not Erakovic, but another Brazilian, Rodrigao. In the attacking three, Mostovoy and Mantuan appeared instead of Pedro and Arthur. But the middle line remained unchanged: all the key characters of the team in the person of Barrios, Claudinho and Wendel again came out from the first minutes.

The main stars of Zenit received a well-deserved portion of criticism, despite the victory over Orenburg. Semak’s team calmed down ahead of time, gaining a minimal advantage in the score. As a result, this almost led to the loss of points. Conclusions from Saturday’s game have been drawn. From the first minutes, the hosts acted as collectedly as possible and did not allow Rubin to even think about attacks.

The period from the 12th to the 16th minute turned out to be a shocking period for the “blue-white-blue”, when Dupin managed to create three chances at once. First, Cassierra jumped up one on one with the goalkeeper, but the championship’s top scorer shot too artlessly. In the next attack, Claudinho could score, and again Dupin did not allow himself to be outplayed. The goalkeeper’s third rescue took place after a dangerous shot by Alip, who joined the attack.

Rubin, having withstood the onslaught of the favorite, managed to calm down the game and subsequently confidently coped with Zenit’s positional attacks. The guests defended with ten men, leaving almost no space for the opponent. In the previous game, with a similar scenario in the first half, the skill of Claudinho came to the aid of the Zenit team, shooting from distance. This time the “blue-white-blue” were simply not allowed to strike without resistance.

Semak’s original plan clearly didn’t work. The maximum that was possible to create after a vigorous start was the chance of Mostovoy, who tried to close in Mantuan’s cross. In this episode, Dupin was already played back, but the Zenit winger simply missed the target.

Rubin became bolder and scored twice

Semak, despite the stupor in the attack, did not change the attacking group during the break, but released Erakovic instead of Alip. At the beginning of the half, Zenit earned a dangerous free kick, but Claudinho hit the wall. Rubin converted their first chance of the match: the hosts were stumped by a simple combination performed by Zotov and Daku.

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While Zenit was recovering, the Kazan team almost doubled their lead. Once again, Zotov could have been the co-author of the goal, after whose shot Kerzhakov deflected directly onto Vuyachich’s foot. The Montenegrin defender was only five meters from the goal, but failed to beat the goalkeeper.

The critical situation forced Semak to respond with substitutions. The head coach removed Rodrigao, Barrios and Mostovoy from the field, betting on Artur, Sergeev and Pedro. Zenit needed time to understand how to play in the new combination. “Rubin” was not going to protect the minimal advantage, but went forward for the second goal. The guests’ courage was eventually rewarded: experienced defender Martynovich, hiding in someone else’s penalty area, hit Kerzhakov with a cool shot.

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Rubin, having spent the entire first half in ambush, unexpectedly gained a two-goal advantage. In the final 20 minutes of the meeting, the guests again returned to defensive mode. In the end, Dupin again became the main character on the field, ultimately stopping about ten shots on target.

The Kazan players played for the end without hesitation, and at times they openly delayed time. The main referee of the match, Artem Chistyakov, was forced to add eight minutes to the main time, but the “blue-white-blue” did not have enough for even one return goal. For the first time in history, Zenit suffered a home defeat under Semak with a difference of two goals. In the current championship, the St. Petersburg team lost at home for the third time: earlier, Dynamo and Lokomotiv managed to take away victories from the Gazprom Arena.

Rakhimov’s team pleased not only Kazan, but also Krasnodar fans. The faded championship intrigue is now flaring up with renewed vigor, and the end of the season promises to be as interesting as possible. In the next round, the two main contenders for gold will have to play away: Zenit will be visiting Dynamo in Moscow, and Krasnodar will be visiting Krylya Sovetov in Samara.