Zenit St Petersburg

Zenit St. Petersburg wanted to make sure the coaching concern was fixed immediately after Dick Advocaat was removed from his post on Monday.

55-year-old Anatoliy Davydov, former Zenit Leningrad defensive midfielder from 1975-1988, was appointed caretaker of the club until another manager is found, or Davydov proves himself worthy.

Davydov, who spoke earlier before practice about his goals as a manager, made several things very clear.

"For me, this appointment is a very great honor. But our purpose is still the same, we strive to place in the Champion's League." he told the media.

A Champion's League place is certainly very far away, from where the club currently stands. At 6-6-5 and in 7th place overall, Zenit sits 10 points behind leaders Rubin Kazan. Not an insurmountable difference by any means, but winning matches would certainly help—something that the team has not managed to do in four attempts.

Davydov also stressed the necessity to work on team chemistry.

"The main issue that needs addressed is the psychology of the boys."

It is true.

With numerous changes to the line over the last several months, Zenit has struggled to achieve any type of chemistry with each other. Alessandro Rosina only had a mere several days before getting tossed into his first match.

The team can't be very successful while the starting 11 changes dramatically on a weekly basis.

As former manager of Zenit's youth squad, Davydov also wants to get as many young players involved not only in practice, but in match situations as well.

The new manager also wanted an upbeat first practice, in which he divided the squad into two seperate teams, one in white and the other in green.

Many young players got to test their abilities against first-team goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev or Kamil Contofalsky, while 20-year-old midfielder Aleksei Ionov made his first return to practice since sustaining an ankle injury against Terek Grozny three weeks ago.

The team will begin preparations for Amkar Perm, but also are looking ahead to the Europa League playoff match in Madiera against CD Nacional on August 20th. The home-and-home set will conclude at the Petrovsky Stadium on August 27, four days after playing host to Lokomotiv Moscow.

Whether Dick Advocaat is still manager or not, the need for one or two more strikers is still there. So when the opportunity presented itself, Zenit was ready.

23-year-old Real Madrid striker Alvaro Negredo appears to be headed out, but to where remains uncertain. Zenit has reportedly offered €15 million for his services, but are more than willing to raise the offer if necessary. Negredo, at 1.87m (or 6'1.5'') tall, would be an excellent replacement, if not an upgrade, for recently departed striker Pavel Pogrebnyak.

If Real Madrid accepts, Negredo's agent Alejandro Camano certainly hasn't ruled any options out. 

"Zenit? It is a possibility," said Camano.

However, Negredo would not be the first Iberian to sport a Zenit kit, and certainly not the first dynamic Spanish or Portuguese playmaker in Russia.

Zenit already fields two Portuguese internationals, in Danny and Fernando Meira, while Brazilian striker Vagner Love plays for CSKA Moscow and Alejandro Damian Dominguez plays for Rubin Kazan.

Speaking of which, there is no better time to wish Danny a belated birthday, as he turned 26 a few days ago. 

Вперёд за Питер.

When Dutch manager Dick Advocaat accepted the job of coaching the Belgian national team in June, he also set a final departure date from Zenit of Dec. 31, 2009.

That date is now no more.

Zenit command has decided to remove Advocaat prematurely from his post after a series of horrendous events that have the club currently in total free-fall.

Less than 24 hours after a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Tom Tomsk in what may have been the worst match played by any Zenit side in the last 15 years, management needed to do something. And very quickly.

As the weeks went on, it became increasingly apparent that Advocaat was unhappy and uninterested in managing Zenit any longer. After the departures of many players he had incredible success with, including long-time captain Anatoliy Tymoschuk, the Sky Blues have been in a state of disarray.

He also was very public about his feelings towards both of Zenit's new signings, Belarusian striker Sergei Kornilenko and Italian attacking midfielder Alessandro Rosina.

After saying he "did not want" Rosina and was shocked that the club bought a player without his consent, things rapidly began to deteriorate.

Since June 19, Zenit has not won a match, drawing at home with 10-man Rubin Kazan and losing to 10-man Terek Grozny. But neither of those were as dismal as yesterday's performance at the Petrovsky.

Advocaat made no substitutions, even after falling behind 1-0, and eventually 2-0. He changed nothing in terms of team strategy at halftime. And it eventually cost the club much needed points, as Zenit had beaten the same Tom side 3-0 earlier in the season.

Youth manager Anatoliy Davydov will be appointed interim coach and it is unclear whether he will only be a temporary manager or an eventual replacement.

Despite the events that came to pass over the last several weeks, Advocaat will still be remembered as the most successful manager in club history.

He captured the Russian Premier League crown in 2007, followed by the UEFA Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and Russian Super Cup in 2008. He was also granted honorary citizenship of the city of St. Petersburg, an honor that had not been awarded in over 150 years.

Good luck in all your future endeavors, Sir Advocaat.

You worked wonders for Zenit and the city, taking the club to unprecedented heights that would have been unimaginable only a few years ago. But this move was the best for everyone.

It only took a month. But Zenit St. Petersburg's season is already hanging by a thread.

When Zenit defeated Russian Premier League leaders FC Moscow 1-0 at the Petrovsky Stadium on July 12, their season looked to be headed in the right direction. They finally had a solid result against a good team, and had to overcome a penalty shot to preserve a victory.

The result had every marking of a win that could give them just enough momentum to make it through the next several matches. But then it all started to unwind.

The Sky Blues were dealt a crushing defeat at the hands of Terek Grozny the next week. Szabolcs Huszti and Pavel Pogrebnyak scored back-to-back in a matter of minutes to pull Zenit even at two, only to conceed the winning goal with a minute left.

Next was the crucial showdown with FK Rubin Kazan at home. Zenit outplayed Rubin by a mile, but manager Dick Advocaat was unable to find a winning combination. Rubin had been playing with ten men for the last 20 minutes of the match but held on for a draw.

Zenit then traveled to Saturn Moscow to face the Aliens, and held a 2-1 advantage late in the match. But again, Advocaat did not make any defensive substitutions and Saturn tied the match off a Vyacheslav Malafeev goalkeeping blunder.

The came the signing of Italian playmaker Alessandro Rosina from Torino.

Advocaat took no time at all to voice his opinions on the new players.

He told the press, "Rosina? I did not want him at all. I'd asked for two or three strikers instead and they bought him without consulting me. I am disappointed, as this is the first time in my life that a club has bought a player without my consent."

However, Rosina made his Zenit debut in Russia's Cup against Nizhny Novgorod and scored magnificently in the 39th minute of play. He earned the highest player rating on the team at 7.4.

Rosina was a happy man. The fans were ecstatic. And the players on the field immediately responded to the Italian's play, despite having almost no practice time together.

Zenit then had a few days away from the pitch, but came right back on Sunday to face Tom Tomsk, one of the worst teams in the league.

This was a team that Zenit had defeated handily on the road, 3-0 earlier in the season. In all honesty, it should have been 5-0 or more.

The Sky Blues, captained by defender Aleksandr Anyukov, began in dominating form, earning numerous corner kicks but failing to convert on any of them. After a barrage of uninspired shots on the Tom goal, Zenit took a 0-0 match into halftime. And apparently, were perfectly happy with that.

Advocaat clearly had no changes to make. Even though midfielder Radek Sirl would turn the ball over every time he touched it. Even though any corner earned would be won by Tom inside the box, as it floated in harmlessly.

What is the deal? Was he trying to make a point? Even when Tom scored once, then again in the 68th minute, no changes were made.

Not one substitution from a team that was virtually unchanged from the 11 men who took the field only a few days earlier. No. He just sat there at the end of the Zenit bench, expressionless as his players looked for answers. This was supposed to be the same club that was previously undefeated at home.

As the match thankfully ended, Zenit supporters trudged out of the stadium, very disappointed. And they had every reason to be upset. It was a genuine shock. What just happened?

The entire city viewed Advocaat as a hero. Only a year ago, he was given honorary citizenship of St. Petersburg, an honor that had not been awarded since 1866.

He is still the most successful manager that Zenit has ever had, leading the Sky Blues to four trophies in the last three seasons, none more important than the UEFA Cup win over Rangers.

Earlier this summer, Advocaat accepted the position to manage the Belgian national team, but he would not leave St. Petersburg until December 31. Which brings up a painful question.

Is he all-in for the last half a year of his Zenit tenure?

"No, I am confident that our team is much stronger than Tomsk. I have some suggestions as to why something went wrong. I will explain this to the board of directors and let's see."

It's unsure why Advocaat would not accept a player other than the select few that he named, one of those being Lazio striker Goran Pandev. A transfer of course, is still possible, but what is the true reason for being upset with an excellent player like Rosina, who is now signed long-term?

New director Igor Korneev knows he must not only add stronger players for the immediate future, but down the road as well. Advocaat will only be managing the club for another five months, while both Kornilenko and Rosina are signed to four-year deals.

If Advocaat can be all-in for his remaining months as Zenit manager, everyone will be happy and the team results will show it.

If he is not committed, the team will show a poor result.

Zenit fans are always tremendous and committed. They expect nothing less than the same from all players and coaches alike. Alessandro Rosina has already embraced the city, and they have embraced him back as one of their own. He even has a nickname.

But the supporters deserve much better than the awful display of football they witnessed today at the Petrovsky. And Sir Advocaat, it's up to you how you would like your last few months in St. Petersburg to go.  

Gladbach began the new Bundesliga season in style at Bochum, Juan Arango toe-poking the visitors into a 19th minute lead before Israeli international Roberto Colautti added in the 26th minute.

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FC Twente 1 - PSV 1 (Eredivisie, August 9, 2009) Douglas bundled the ball over the PSV line after 20 minutes. But the lead lasted just six minutes before Balazs Dzsudzsak brought the visitors level.

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Zenit St. Petersburg 0 - Tomsk 2 (Russian Premier League, August 9, 2009) Second half goals from George Jokic and Aleksandr Kharitonov handed Tomsk the surprise away win.

Samara 1 - Lokomotiv Moscow 3 (Russian Premier League, August 9, 2009) A Roman Shishkin og and goals from Dmitri Sychev and Alan Gatagov earned Lokomotiv the points.

***

Anderlecht 3 - Cercle Brugge 2 (Jupiler League, August 8, 2009) Matias Suarez put Anderlecht ahead after 12 minutes, only for Anthony Portier to level before the half hour. An own goal from Frederik Boi restored the home side’s lead just before the break, and Mbark Boussoufa made it 3-1 shortly after the hour. Thomas Buffel pulled one back for the visitors in the 73rd minute, but Anderlecht held on to their lead to jump to first place.

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Odra Wodzislaw 0 - Polonia Bytom 1 (Ekstraklasa, August 8, 2009)

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Newcastle Jets 3 - Wellington Phoenix 2 (A-League, August 9, 2009) A double from Jason Hoffman put Newcastle 2-up inside 25 minutes, But the Phoenix muscled their way back into the match with defender Ben Sigmund and striker Chris Greenache scoring goals to make it 2-2 at halftime. The Jets weren’t to be denied victory though, as substitutes Sean Rooney and Jason Naidovski combined to grab the winner six minutes from time.

Nearly ten days ago, Zenit St. Petersburg began negotiations with Italian side Torino about the transfer of their captain, midfielder Alessandro Rosina. With Torino's relegation from Serie A, it was unlikely Rosina would remain for another season.

Now, the diminutive playmaker has agreed to a four-year contract with Zenit, worth €8 million in total.

Ever since Andrei Arshavin departed for the Emirates, Zenit has badly needed an attacking winger that shares the same flair and creativity that Arshavin brought to the pitch. Portuguese midfielder Danny tried his best, but honestly he has never been the same player as Arshavin.

With Danny now out until 2010, the need for an adept midfielder with a scoring touch has been amplified even further.

Hopefully Rosina, or Rosinaldo, can bring back a similar element.

"Competing for European honors is very important to me and I am looking forward to living in such a beautiful city. Despite interest from a number of other clubs, Zenit expressed a great deal of faith in me and that gives me great confidence ahead of the move. I am a happy man," said Rosina.

The staff obviously listened to manager Dick Advocaat's words after the draw against Rubin Kazan on Saturday. Advocaat was asked if he felt the team needed new players.

"We play excellent defense, more than excellent in the midfield, while we have problems in attack. Four months ago, I said we need a new forward. I hope somebody at the board will hear these words. We need two or three players, better three."

So far, two players have came to St. Petersburg. First was Belarusian striker Sergei Kornilenko, and now Rosina. Will these two be enough to solve the offensive woes? Only time will tell.

Alessandro Rosina Information

• Age: 25 years old
• Height: 1.68m (5'6")
• Position: Attacking midfielder/winger
• Nationality: Italy
• Former Clubs: Parma, Verona, Torino
• Scored 31 goals in 120 appearances for Torino since 2005.

The left-footed playmaker will arrive in St. Petersburg in one day.

Rosina was a driving force for Torino during his duration with the club, and will look to bring the same style of play to the Russian giants.

Rosinaldo and Kornilenko will both join Zenit in practice. Kornilenko has looked effective in training over the past week, and will most likely be ready if needed to play on Sunday against Saturn Moscow. Rosina however, has not played in some time and may need one to two weeks of preparation before taking the pitch. 

Zenit forward Pavel Pogrebnyak was also scouted in person by Blackburn Rovers' boss Sam Allardyce over the weekend, but today he was offered a new contract by Zenit that would make him one of the highest payed players in the Russian Premier League.

With the injuries to Turkish striker Fatih Tekke and his interest in moving back to Turkey, signing Pogrebnyak is a major priority.

It was a short week for Zenit St. Petersburg, but a busy one to say the least. After trudging out of Chechnya on Sunday with a 3-2 defeat to Terek Grozny at the last minute, the team headed back home.

But they would soon be joined by a new face. Only a day after the loss, Zenit signed Belarusian striker Sergei Kornilenko from Tom Tomsk. The 26-year-old was inked to a 5-year contract. Kornilenko, who has been an effective goal scorer in any league he's played in, is expected to be ready by August 1.

That's no help for the upcoming match against Russian leaders Rubin Kazan, however.

Portuguese central defender Fernando Meira would not be available, after receiving another yellow card in stoppage time against Terek, but starting goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev would be returning to action after an injury during a friendly in Austria.

Welcome back, Captain Malafeev!

Zenit would need to have an extra step against the top team, but coming home to the Petrovsky Stadium would be a huge advantage. The team had played to a mark of 5-1-0 on the 2009 campaign.

Rubin Kazan is also coming off a loss. After gaining an early second half lead at home against CSKA Moscow, they gave up two late goals.

Both teams will be starting a 4-5-1, and the match day weather couldn't have been much nicer. Aleksei Nikolayev is the referee facing over 21,000 strong, all wearing sky blue.

Zenit begins the match with an absolutely jaw-dropping chance, as Roman Shirokov forces Rubin keeper Sergei Ryzhikov to make a save. He gives up a juicy rebound as he falls to the ground, but Pavel Pogrebnyak fires a shot about ten feet over the cage from three feet out.

Rubin tries to replicate Zenit's early opportunity, but Zenit defenders are having none of it. The men in scarlet gain a free-kick and a corner to follow, but can't do much with either as both attempts are cleared without Malafeev needing to make a save.

Early yellow cards are awarded to Zenit, Szabolcs Huszti and Aleksandr Anyukov are both in the book for too aggressive challenges.

Both sides are committed to playing staunch defense, so the offensive chances are very limited and poor when they come. A pair of corners are given to both teams in the first 20 minutes, but none have the slightest bit of hope.

Shirokov creates another scoring chance in the 27th minute, as he unleashes a rocket on net, forcing Ryzhikov to make a spectacular save. Groans from the crowd. They feel that Zenit should be leading 2-0 now.

Rubin defender Cesar picks up a card after a forceful challenge on Pogrebnyak. Zenit has now moved ahead of Rubin in the corners category. Huszti has done a very nice job so far delivering balls inside, only nobody has been able to capitalize.

A few minutes before halftime, Zenit again is getting forward and earns a corner kick. Huszti flicks it in and Shirokov manages to get open again, but his header misses and he collapses in pain. It isn't clear what exactly happened. Shirokov quickly walks off the pitch, both hands on his face, and he is now bleeding at the eye.

Shirokov waves to the Petrovsky faithful as he leaves the pitch.

Team medics deem that he is not able to return, and young midfielder Victor Fayzulin will take his place.

Zenit keeps the pressure on, as Rubin is finding very few opportunities to get forward. Pogrebnyak makes a mess of another chance inside before halftime. The half officially ends as Pascha and Rubin defender Lasha Salukvadze collide in mid-air. No score.

Halftime Notes

• Pavel Pogrebnyak possibly played his worst half of football the entire season. He should have scored easily on two seperate occasions.
• Szabolcs Huszti has proved he belongs in the starting line. If he made a mistake so far, not many people could find it.
• Vyacheslav Malafeev has not been seriously tested at all. He hasn't even faced a shot on net yet.
• The referees clearly want to keep the physical play out of the game, as three yellows have already been given.
• If Rubin are supposed to be the better side, they haven't shown anything like it so far. Zenit has out-chanced them and out-worked them.

Zenit begins the second half, once more controlling the play. A corner is immediately earned by Konstantin Zyryanov, who has had a quiet match so far. The attempt is feebly cleared away.

Two yellow cards go to Rubin in the first 15 minutes of the half. Zenit's corner attempts are rocketing, as they have already tripled Rubin in that statistic. After the card on Georgian defender Dato Kvirkvelia, Igor Semshov barely misses a short-range shot, just wide of the right post.

Zenit are all over Rubin in their own half, moving the ball sharply with one-touch passes galore. But unfortunately, Kvirkvelia decides he's seen enough of the passing clinic and fouls Semshov very hard.

That's his second yellow card in three minutes, and he trots off the pitch leaving Rubin with ten men.

Two substitutes are made in the 76th minute, as Zenit striker Fatih Tekke returns for the first time in several months, replacing Huszti. Rubin brings on Russian international Roman Adamov, and it is immediately obvious that he should have started the match in the first place.

Szabolcs Huszti, the Pride of Hungary.

Adamov launches a one-man attack in stoppage time right after Zenit had a free kick attempt blocked. The 6'3" striker forces his way to the side of the cage and then tries to set up a teammate instead, who hit the post.

Zenit tries one more time to get upfield and score, but it all dissolves quickly and the match ends in a 0-0 draw. The home crowd begins to file out, unhappy with the result, as they know full well that they should have had a victory.

But points are better than no points, and the need for a striker who can finish his chances becomes even more blaring for Zenit. The debut of Kornilenko next week will be a welcome sight for many. Hopefully though, he is not the only new member by that time.

Final Time Notes

Zenit finished with 12 corner kicks, to two for Rubin Kazan. The possession time was 58 percent in favor of Zenit, but it seemed like far more than that. Zenit finished with 13 shots, seven on goal. Rubin had three shots, none on net.

Zenit will now travel to face suddenly impressive Saturn Moscow. The Planets have scored six times in their past two matches, wins over Kryliya Sovetov and Rostov.

Match Ratings

GK Malafeev: 6. He was hardly tested today but made the necessary plays.

D Krizanac: 6.5. More comfortable handling the ball than most central defenders. Even managed to get upfield a few times.

D Lombaerts: 7. Did very little wrong in his first full game back. Said after the match "we had our opportunities but just couldn't score".

Rock solid Belgian defense.

D Kim: 6.5. Did his part to get forward.

D Anyukov: 8. The Russian international wing-back was the best player on the field.

M Denisov: 7.5. Did a terrific job shutting down Rubin in the midfield.

M Zyryanov: 6. Never hurt the team performance but didn't help it. Said "we were very unlucky today".

M Huszti: 7. Terrific balls off corner kicks.

M Shirokov: 7. Had his fair share of scoring chances before departing.

F Pogrebnyak: 3. Dismal performance. Did nothing of value and badly missed his chances.

F Tekke: 5. Touched the ball once when he came in.

M Fayzulin: 5. Not effective in replacing Shirokov whatsoever.

   

 

For Zenit St. Petersburg, things have gone from grim to downright ugly over the past six months. Following a well-earned victory over FC Moscow, the wheels completely fell off for Zenit in the Chechen capital.

Peter's men, a side built on defense, gave up three goals in a 3-2 loss to Terek Grozny and wasted countless opportunities to get back into the match.

But the roster that took the pitch against Terek was only a shadow of the Zenit from just a few months ago.

Playmaker Andrei Arshavin departed for Arsenal before the season began. Team captain Anatoliy Tymoschuk joined the German side, Bayern Munich. And veteran Turkish striker Fatih Tekke and Portuguese attacking midfielder Danny both went down to injury.

However, while Danny is out until 2010, Tekke was cleared to play yesterday.

Along with detrimental changes to the roster, the team is losing one of the most successful managers in club history, Dick Advocaat, to the Belgian National Team.

The situation has been so ugly that for the past several months the club has been playing with only one active striker on the entire roster: Russian international Pavel Pogrebnyak, more playfully known as "Pascha." Pogrebnyak leads the team in scoring almost by default.

However, it's not all bad for the city on the Neva.

Despite the losses, the team still sits in sixth place overall in the Russian Premier League and remains the most dominant home squad in the land.

Yesterday, management signed Belarusian international striker Sergei Kornilenko from Tomsk to a five-year contract. While it may not attract a lot of attention in terms of news, Kornilenko has a knack for finding the back of the net at any level of competition.

A few Kornilenko stats here:

• age: 26
• position: forward
• height: 6'1" (1.85m)
• previous clubs: Dinamo Minsk, Dynamo Kiev, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, Tom Tomsk
• earned 30 caps for the Belarusian national team since 2004
• top scorer in the Belarusian Premier League in 2003 with 18 goals for Minsk

If nothing else, Kornilenko will be able to provide Pogrebnyak some rest from time to time. And at best, Kornilenko could be a reliable second option up front on a team with many talented midfielders who are adept at supplying balls inside.

It is possible that Tekke will be heading out soon as well. The Turkish attacker will be 32 in September and rarely plays more than the final 20 minutes of a match.

Aleksandr Dyukov was probably thinking ahead with the signing of Kornilenko, as he has a similar nose for the goal as Tekke, and a little more height.

However, there are still a few more changes that will come to the Petrovsky before the summer has ended. A new manager is needed, another striker would be nice, and a playmaking midfielder to fill Miguel's void would be excellent.

Dyukov still badly wants to make an impact move, and he might have the perfect candidate lined up.

Rumor has it that he offered Chelsea close to 10 million Euros for veteran striker Andriy Shevchenko, who could certainly make a splash for Zenit. There is no question that, even at 32 years old, the former Ballon d'Or recipient can still play at the highest level of football.

Shevchenko doesn't have a place in Chelsea's starting XI, but that doesn't mean he couldn't find a place on Zenit's roster. Although it's not his home, Russia would be more of a homecoming than heading back to Italy.

In attempts to lure Shevchenko to St. Petersburg, Dyukov has probably mentioned Zenit's plans to open a brand new, 62,000 seat arena in early 2011.

But how effective that incentive was remains to be seen.

Fatih Tekke has been cleared to return to the field, but it is up to Advocaat to decide if he is ready for action. Zenit will play what could possibly be its most important home match of the season when Russian leader, FC Rubin Kazan, comes to St. Petersburg on Saturday. Chances are, if Zenit is ahead late, Tekke will play. 

Вперёд за питер.  

RB Salzburg 2 - Austria Vienna 1 (T-Mobile Bundesliga, July 19, 2009) Austria’s season began in superb style as Zlatko Junuzovic curled in a beauty just before the half hour. The visitors held their lead until the final 20 minutes when Alexander Zickler swept Salzburg level from close range and Somen Tchoyi popped up in the 90th minute to thrash home the winner.

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Terek Grozny 3 - Zenit St. Petersburg 2 (Russian Premier League, July 19, 2009) Zenit had been 2-down before Sszabolcs Huszti and Pavel Pogrebniak levelled. But Terek ran out winners as defender Valentin Iliev popped up in the 89th minute to snatch the three points.

Spartak Moscow 1 - Krylia Sovetov Samara 1 (Russian Premier League, July 19, 2009) The visitors moved ahead in the 27th minute with a superb goal from Timofey Kalachev, the forward played a one-two on the edge of the box before side-footing a curler into the top corner. But just as it looked like Spartak would concede defeat they grabbed a late leveller, Vladimir Bystrov burst through from midfield, evading a series of challenges to slide home the equaliser.

Amkar Perm 1 - Lokomotiv Moscow 1 (Russian Premier League, July 19, 2009) Lokomotiv went one down after Amkar’s Predrag Sikimic scored a header midway through the second half. But a penalty from Russian international Dmitry Sychev salvaged a draw for for visitors.

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IFK Gothenburg 3 - Trelleborg 1 (Allsvenskan, July 19, 2009) (Longer highlights here.) Johansson and Olsson put IFK 2-up before Jensen pulled a goal back with a powerful shot into the near post. Sigurdsson ended any hopes of a Trelleborg comeback with a third from the spot.

Djurgarden 1 - Elfsborg 2 (Allsvenskan, July 19, 2009) The highlight of the match was Elfsborg opener from Emir Bajrami, the forward netting a Marco van Basten style goal by striking a volley high into the opposite corner from a tight angle.

Gefle 0 - Helsingborg 2 (Allsvenskan, July 19, 2009) Second half strikes from Andersson and Sundin earned HIF the three points.

Week Two in the "second season" of the Russian Premier League saw a distinct match of contrasting identities: Zenit St. Petersburg has been the league's most dominant team at home, but one of its worst on the road.

Travelling to Grozny wasn't going to help anything.

Sultan Bilimkhanov's Stadium has never done any favors for Peter's men. The small venue of a shade over 10,000 fans always tends to be a wild atmosphere. It's no surprise that Terek, despite being a second-tier team, have only failed to earn points once at home.

Zenit will start by playing a horrific 4-5-1, while Terek fields an equally horrendous 3-6-1.

Zenit begins an incredibly edgy first half controlling most of the possession, most of the play being carried out in the midfield. The first honest chance of the match came in the 12th minute after Pavel Pogrebnyak completely missed a header inside.

The ball would float safely away until it was picked up by Konstantin Zyryanov along the far sideline. The Russian international fired a juicy pass back inside, but Igor Denisov couldn't do much with it, with a routine save by the Grozny keeper.

Roman Shirokov provided a much more serious test for Dikan a few moments later, as he floated a knuckling shot in from distance. The shot itself looked completely innocent until the last possible second, when it dove and forced a save.

Terek's Brazilian defender Cleber took a very hard shot right off the face, drawing a reaction from the local crowd. Shirokov hears the jeers.

Yet another chance for Shirokov came a few minutes later, as back wing Anyukov feeds him inside. His header is missed badly to the left.

But Terek finally starts to get forward, and they earn themselves their first corner of the evening. Although it looked dangerous, no harm done and trouble averted for Zenit. An excellent pass back inside changes all that immediately.

Bulgarian international midfielder Blagoy Georgiev takes the pass and zooms through Zenit defense, deflecting a close range shot in off Tomas Hubocan's knee. There is absolutely nothing the keeper can do but watch it drift into the back of the net.

1-0 Terek Grozny.

Let the fireworks begin.

As play resumes, Denisov and Georgian midfielder Levan Gvazava engage in a shouting match in the center circle. Gvazava obviously wasn't a fan of what Denisov was selling and shoved him backwards. Immediate yellow card.

Zenit pushes hard for an immediate answer, but nothing comes. Any ball delivered inside is being won by Terek.

Around the 30th minute, Pogrebnyak takes a yellow on a tackle. To be completely honest, the tackle shouldn't have even been a foul the way this match was playing out. Pavel protests to no avail and we play on. 

Moments later, Pogrebnyak takes a feed from Zyryanov and has a free run into the box. That is, until he is met with a very aggressive challenge by Terek defender Sergey Omelyanchuk. No foul.

20-year old Aleksei Ionov's only positive contribution of the match came on a distance shot that missed wide by several inches. Goalkeeper Dikan looks to the sky to thank his lucky stars.

The half comes to a screeching end in predictable fashion. 

Hubocan takes a free—swinging elbow to the face and the Moscow—based referee turns a cold shoulder.

Terek strolls off the pitch with a halftime lead.

Departing Zenit boss Dick Advocaat doesn't like a few things, and rightly so. Hubocan, who couldn't have ever played a worse half of football in his career, was immediately substituted in favor of Hungarian midfielder Sszabolics Huszti.

Zenit's lone spring signing had not seen much playing time, but that was when Anatoliy Tymoschuk was captain. Tymoschuk now plays for Bayern Munich.

Ionov and Pogrebnyak open the opportunities for Zenit. Neither come close to capitalizing. Korean defender Dong-jin Kim has his first quality chance of the match, but he makes a mess of it thanks to some staunch defense by Terek.

Eight men for Zenit are forward, and Terek now has a golden counter-attacking opportunity. Midfielder Shamil Lahiyalov takes a pass in stride, rockets past Shirokov, and beats Contofalsky to the far post.

2-0 Grozny.

The crowd is delirious. Absolutely out of their minds. The formal salute between Lahiyalov and Georgiev as a celebration only increases the stadium ecstasy.

Zenit once again tries to catch Terek napping after the goal, but it fails. Instead, Terek finds themselves going forward. But in their burst of adrenaline, they manage to miss empty nets on two separate occasions. 

The second saw Konstantin Zyryanov playing goal because Contofalsky had been pulled so far out.

Zyryanov however, would advance the ball almost the entire way up the field, taking a shot that rang off the post. Ionov attempted to head it out of the air, but came down awkwardly and eventually had to be assisted off.

Not that it mattered, he played a poor match. He would be substituted in the 70th minute in favor of lanky Belgian defender Nicolas Lombaerts, who was making his first appearance since 2007 due to injury.

The additions of Huszti and Lombaerts helped immediately.

Zenit began to put pressure on the now ultra-defensive Terek back line, and Huszti found the golden boot. Taking a feed inside, he chipped it through defenders into the far corner. The men from Peter's City have halved the lead.

And like magic, Zenit had life.

Too much life for Terek. It took a matter of seconds before the lead completely evaporated.

Pogrebnyak and Igor Semshov fly in together and Pogrebnyak finally capitalizes off a feed from the late-arriving Zyryanov. Tie game. Dikan can't go that low to make the save.

Terek Grozny 2, Zenit St. Petersburg 2.

Rapid fire substitutions on both sides now. Radek Shirl comes on for Kim, and Terek makes two changes. Once again, Zenit is getting forward against a team locked into defense, and Pogrebnyak misses what seems like his 47th header chance of the match.

Any clearing attempt by Terek is fielded down by Lombaerts, who is flying around like a man possessed. It's incredibly obvious that he's missed being on the pitch for all those long months.

But Terek finally open up, and get a free kick. Dangerous once more. Romanian Florentin Petre was signed to do just that. His ball is tempting, but is cleared by Lombaerts. Another try.

The second time was more lucky. Defender Valentin Iliev took it out of the air with his right foot and slammed the chance home to give the locals back the lead.         

Iliev doesn't score much apparently.

He rips his shirt off and runs to the Terek sideline, where he is promptly showered in Gatorade from his teammates. A sticky, sweaty mess. Zenit now has five minutes to tie the game again. 

But they weren't about to fold just yet. As stoppage time began, Zyryanov was trying to push forward again. Some slick passing lead to a chance for Denisov from distance. But the match got ugly in a hurry.

Cleber bats the shot out of the air in the box with his left arm, causing an uproar from Advocaat's side. Fernando Meira, Shirl, Denisov and Anyukov all mob the referees, who will ridiculously have none of it. Meira and Denisov are both handed yellows. But it's hardly over as a few Terek players jump into the feud too.

Pushing and shoving all around. After eight minutes of stoppage time, the refs blow the match dead. Terek holds on for victory.

Always animated Terek boss Vyacheslav Hrozny runs onto the pitch to delight of the fans and begins to dance a jig. A very interesting spectacle from the 53-year-old Ukrainian.

Zenit Notes

• Pavel Pogrebnyak had far too many chances today as a center-forward. In complete honesty, he should have at least had a hat trick. Zenit's need for a second striker has become even more evident.
• Sszabolics Huszti finally proved he belonged on the pitch full-time. He was awarded a match rating of 8.1, best of any Zenit player.
• Ivica Krizanac was missed badly. The coveted Croatian central defender has been an immobile force.
• Zenit has managed only one win in eight tries away from the Petrovsky.
• Terek played with grit and energy that was never matched by Advocaat's men. But also, Zenit has played three times in a week, including the Russian Cup.
• Zenit now thankfully will travel back home, where they face top team Rubin Kazan in St. Petersburg six days from today.    

Zenit St. Petersburg and Serie A side Lazio apparently have a few things in common this summer.

The Powder Blues from Peter's City have already unloaded striker Andrei Arshavin to Arsenal, midfielder/captain Anatoliy Tymoschuk to Bayern Munich, and manager Dick Advocaat to the Belgian national team.

Many words have it that a fair handfull of additional players could also be on their way out of the Petrovsky, including current center-forward Pavel Pogrebnyak.

Lazio seem to be in a similar position.

Star Macedonian striker Goran Pandev seems to be on his way out, but his final destination is still unsure. Juventus, Palermo, and Napoli have all expressed an interest in the forward, but have not made a solid offer.

With Zenit St. Petersburg's growing need for an able striker, Pandev seems to be a primary target. For the time being, Pogrebnyak is still the No. 1 forward. He's the only forward for that matter.

Aging Turkish forward Fatih Tekke has not taken the pitch since early May when he sustained an injury at Rostov. Arshavin is gone. Offensive midfielder Danny has also been bitten by the injury bug.

So why not pursue Pandev?

No price is wrong in this deal. A need for a playmaking forward is glaringly obvious.

Zenit has already offered Lazio a reported 15 million Euros, which is exactly what Lazio had demanded for the Macedonian. But that offer was rejected by a greedy Claudio Lotito, who is now asking for 20 million.

Regardless, it is a price that must be paid.

Zenit has lacked a playmaking forward with some speed and versatility since Arshavin departed for Arsenal several months ago. Now, Pandev is not comparable with Arshavin under any regular circumstances. But he would do his best to bring back that energy and skill that has been missing for some time now.

Pandev, a 25-year-old, has scored 48 goals for Lazio since 2004 and also added 15 goals for Macedonia in 44 career caps.

Lotito has also issued an ultimatum, to every player wishing to leave Lazio, that if they went against his wishes and pursued a transfer but end up staying, they would be relegated to the bench.

Bring Pandev to the Petrovsky. Live long and prosper.

In other transfer news, Zenit has offered a lucrative contract to Atletico Madrid's Luis Garcia, who has underperformed in Spain after returning from Liverpool in 2007. The small forward, who has been an aerial threat all of his career, could be pursuaded to move to Russia if Juande Ramos is the successor to Dick Advocaat.

Garcia's heart still appears in England, even if he ends up playing for a Championship club like West Bromwich Albion.

In the meantime, Zenit has completed it's double of training matches in Austria and Belgium. They began the trip to rainy Vienna where the club defeated Austria Wien 0-1 thanks to a Pavel Pogrebyak goal in the 90th minute.

From there, Advocaat's men headed to Brussels for a showdown with RSC Anderlecht, where they drew at two. Konstantin Zyryanov scored once more in incredible fashion for Zenit and fellow Russian international Igor Semshov scored top shelf in the 75th minute.

Anderlecht would tie the game in stoppage time as vice-captain Jelle Van Damme forced a shot past new Zenit skipper Malafeev.

The Russians will now head home to the friendly confines when they face 2nd place FC Moscow at the Petrovsky on July 12.