RUSSIA striker Pavel Pogrebnyak scored twice as Zenit St Petersburg stunned favourites Bayern Munich 4-0 on Thursday to reach the Uefa Cup final.
By Gennady Fyodorov (Reuters)
RUSSIA striker Pavel Pogrebnyak scored twice as Zenit St Petersburg stunned favourites Bayern Munich 4-0 on Thursday to reach the Uefa Cup final.
Zenit, who won the semi-final tie 5-1 on aggregate against four times European champions Bayern, will meet either Fiorentina or Rangers in the May 14 final at the City of Manchester Stadium in England.
Pogrebnyak, however, will miss the club's first European final through suspension after picking up a yellow card in the second half.
First-half strikes from Pogrebnyak and Konstantin Zyrianov put Zenit firmly in control.
Viktor Fayzulin added a third shortly after the interval and Pogrebnyak sealed a memorable win with his second in the 73rd minute.
Bayern, who were European champions three years in a row in the mid-1970s and added a fourth title in 2001 after lifting the Uefa Cup in 1996, had the lion's share of possession in the first half but rarely troubled Zenit keeper Vyacheslav Malafeev.
Zenit will be looking to emulate fellow Russians CSKA Moscow, who won the Uefa Cup in 2005.
Pogrebnyak blasted the home team ahead just four minutes into the game when his low drive right down the middle from 22 metres appeared to fool Bayern keeper Oliver Kahn.
Zenit could have added another following one of their rare forays into Bayern's half in the 21st minute, when defender Alexander Anyukov fired a low shot from a tight angle but this time Kahn made a fine save.
At the other end, Bayern striker Luca Toni, who was suspended for the first leg, headed over the bar from close range, one of several chances the visitors missed in the first half despite having a huge territorial advantage.
The home side, missing three key players in Russia playmaker Andrei Arshavin, Czech international Radek Sirl and Dutch midfielder Fernando Ricksen through suspension, made it 2-0 six minutes before the interval.
Zyrianov dribbled into the box and beat Kahn from 11 metres after a nice feed from Argentine Alejandro Dominguez.
Zenit carried their momentum into the second half while Bayern, who are on the verge of a 21st Bundesliga title, appeared to fall apart.
Fayzulin added a third with a powerful header just under the crossbar following pin-point cross from Anyukov in the 54th minute, before Pogrebnyak completed the rout to the delight of a capacity 22,500-strong crowd at the Petrovsky Stadium.
THEY SAID . . .
Zenit official statementIN a selection of the media, news has popped up which refers to different Spanish sources, and directly affects FC Zenit's reputation.
The quality of play shown by FC Zenit in the games against Rangers FC and Bayern Munich is the best proof that the victories were earned by Zenit in honest and non-compromising challenges.
Allegations of deals mentioned in the media are offensive to all parties mentioned.
At this moment FC Zenit's legal department are evaluating the origins of the story. After this, a decision about legal means to protect the club's reputation and sport as a whole, shall be decided.
Bayern official statement
BAYERN MUNICH knows nothing about this suspicion, and neither does the Munich prosecutor's office. We are trying to get as much information as we can.
Zenit manager Dick Advocaat
THIS is incredible. All I can say is let them play the tapes so we can hear what is being said. Then everyone will know what a big lie it is.
Everyone knows the simple truth - we had a better team than Rangers. That's why we won the Uefa Cup.
Rangers played very well but we were the better side. There was no mystery. I don't know why anybody would say something like this.
There is a lot of jealousy about what we achieved with Zenit in such a short space of time. People don't like the fact that we have been so successful so quickly.
But that has nothing to do with bribes or dirty money. It has everything to do with the quality of players and the coaching staff. That's why we have achieved so much.
Do you honestly think clubs like Bayern Munich or Rangers would get involved in taking money to lose football matches. That is just ridiculous.
They are massive clubs and they wanted European success every bit as badly as us. They are professional clubs and they don't need the money. They want trophies.
Also, you have to remember the company that own Zenit are known across the world. They are respected businessmen and they could not risk the embarrassment of getting involved in something like this.
Only a fool would believe they would act in such a way.
