MOSCOW: Artem Dzyuba struck deep into injury-time to snatch Russian league leaders Zenit St Petersburg a dramatic 3-2 victory at title rivals Krasnodar on Saturday. Sergei Semak’s Zenit saw Mauricio Pereyra level for Krasnodar in the first minute of added time, but Russian international Dzyuba sent the visitors eight points clear of reigning champions Lokomotiv Moscow with only six games remaining. Krasnodar remain third, one point further back. “It was a very difficult match,” said Semak after seeing his side move a step closer to a first Russian title since 2015. “We started well and could have decided the match in the first 15 minutes as we created a lot of chances.” Zenit started strongly, making Krasnodar goalkeeper Matvei Safonov the busiest player at a packed 34,000-capacity Krasnodar Stadium. Dzyuba and Sardar Azmoun both had chances in the opening quarter-hour but Safonov denied them from close range. He was beaten in the 19th minute, though, when Dzyuba scored his first league goal since October 7, tapping into an empty net from Emiliano Rigoni’s cutback. Ivan Ignatiev levelled six minutes later, stabbing home after Sweden striker Viktor Claesson’s effort was blocked. After the interval, Zenit pushed for a winner, and Ukrainian defender Yaroslav Rakitskiy hammered a magnificent 25-yard free-kick into the top corner midway through the second half. Uruguayan midfielder Pereyra had the home crowd on their feet in the first minute of stoppage time as he drew them level again with a long-range screamer of his own, but Dzyuba had the final say with his 100th Premier League goal. Elsewhere, Lokomotiv were held to a 1-1 draw by capital-city rivals CSKA.
Dzyuba strikes late to edge Zenit closer to Russian title
Published on: April 22, 2019 12:27 AM