Zenit St Petersburg – Amkar Perm 3:0
Zenit ran out comfortable winners against Amkar courtesy of Giuliano’s first half brace and a late strike from Domenico Criscito.
The hosts opened the scoring in the 22nd minute when Giuliano timed his run to head in Oleg Shatov’s inviting cross.
Ten minutes later, Giuliano doubled Zenit’s lead. Artem Dzyba’s close-range shot was saved but the ball fell kindly for the Brazilian, who fired into an empty net.
Criscito scored with a minute remaining when he played a one-two on the left with Alexander Kerzhakov before drilling a shot into the far corner.
Zenit manager Mircea Lucescu gave his thoughts on Zenit’s victory, “It is a very good result for us,” he said. “Like in the previous games, we had full control of possession. The quick goal brought confidence and allowed us to attack more dangerously. The score reflects the game. I am satisfied that I saw a fresh team which moved well and was physically well-prepared.”
Asked whether Zenit are close to the level which he envisages, Lucescu answered: “I currently cannot say that were are 100 percent ready and that I am 100 percent satisfied. The main thing is that the footballers have believed in these methods which have been put forward. We will continue to work so that we will continue to control games like we were doing in the previous games. The team is used to a different football. I have a completely different philosophy and ideas; therefore, the players need to rebuild.”
Amkar manager Gadzhi Gadzhiev felt that his side’s poor start was crucial. He said: “We did not seem ready for the game. From the first minutes, we were squeezed. We should have established a different game in the beginning. We made bad mistakes in defence which, in the Premier League, you cannot afford to make. After Zenit were leading by two goals, it became easier for them to demonstrate their superiority.”
Krasnodar – Lokomotiv Moscow 1:2
Goals from Alexander Samedov and Ezekiel Henty, either side of Fedor Smolov’s equalising strike, gave Lokomotiv an impressive away win.
Samedov scored five minutes before the interval, blasting into the top corner from 12 yards after his initial effort was saved.
The sensational scoring run of Smolov was extended two minutes into the second half via a penalty after Ari was fouled.
In the 54th minute, it was Lokomotiv’s turn to try from the penalty spot and Henty netted the match-winning goal.
Smolov came close to equalising in the fourth minute of injury time as his header struck the post and then the head of goalkeeper Guilherme Marinato.
Krasnodar head coach Oleg Kononov did not hesitate in blaming the referee for the defeat. He said: “The match was even. I want to say that this is the second match with this kind of refereeing. It is an alarm for us and the fans. It is necessary to be cautious that such matches could continue further for us, even for the duration of the season. But let us wait until the next meeting.”
In contrast, Lokomotiv boss Yuri Semin mischievously suggested that the referee had in fact helped Krasnodar. Smiling, he said: “I think, conversely, that they helped Krasnodar. I completely do not understand what sort of help it is (which Kononov spoke of). Lokomotiv took the points themselves.
“Most importantly, we got the three points from Krasnodar because our points tally was not the best.”
Krylya Sovetov – Ufa 0:1
Ufa recorded their first win of the season as Sylvester Igboun’s late penalty saw off bottom-side Krylya.
Krylya midfielder Sergei Tkachev struck the post from 30 yards with a thunderous attempt and Igboun went close with an acrobatic shot from the edge of the box.
In the 83rd minute Ufa were awarded a penalty following a clumsy challenge. Igboun stepped up and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way.
Three minutes later, Ufa had captain Pavel Alikin dismissed for a second yellow card when he halted an attack on the very edge of the box.
Krylya manager Frank Vercauteren complained that his side would not have lost but for poor refereeing. “Ufa were not stronger than us,” he said. “The goal was the decision of the referee. Otherwise they would not have scored. 0:0 would have been a fair result. Ufa have the same qualities as us but also the same problems: they are good and organised in defence and similar to us in attack. Again, without the decision of the referee, nothing would have happened.”
Ufa boss Victor Goncharenko was relieved that his team claimed their first victory. He said: “We are satisfied with the result. The match was quite tense. In the last match, with Terek, we played higher-quality football but were not able to take the points. Nonetheless, today we managed to achieve our first victory. Before the upcoming league break, it adds a certain positive.”
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