|
REAL IS THE SAME, WE ARE DIFFERENT
Today Zenit meet Real Madrid in St. Petersburg within the Champions
League group stage.
| |
|
|
Photo: english.sport-express.ru
|
Ten years ago, on September 30 1988, Real Madrid came to
Moscow last time in the second round of the Champions League group stage
to meet Spartak. That day football was more than just football for Russian
people, as the default was declared in Russia a month before and the whole
country felt the bottom fall down. But Spartak won that match 2:1 and
the next day our newspaper was headlined: Russia has no money, but we
have Spartak!
It can be said that neither the players of Zenit, nor their supporters,
nor Russian journalists have awe or fear of the "Galacticos".
And where should this fear come from when:
1. In their last home match Zenit played Bayern, not the current Bayern
but the team of Ottmar Hitzfeld that spent 70 million for picking up new
players and smashed everybody on their way. And the score of the match
was 4:0.
2. Real Madrid stats of the first away matches in the Champions League
show: 0 victories, 1 draw, 3 losses with the difference of the goals -
2:10. In general Real had 16 away matches in the last four years of which
3 ended up with a victory, 5 - with a draw and 8 - with a loss.
3. The current head coach of Real, Bernd Shuster, has a notorious experience
of the Champions League in Russia. Being the head coach of Shaktar he
was defeated by Lokomotiv reined by Semin in the third qualifying round
of the Champions League 2003/04.
4. Zenit stars - Arshavin, Zyryanov, Anyukov - have no reasons to fear
the opponents as three months before they defeated Holland on Euro 2008
with their Dutch stars - van Nistelrooy, van der Vaart, and the now injured
Sneider (Robben did not play than because of the injury). And there are
only two players of that Spain squad that met us twice on the same tournament
- Casillas and Ramos.
5. The strongest side of the current Zenit is midfield. And Zenit have
troubles in that line: Gutti and Sneider are injured and have not come
to St. Petersburg. That is why the main task to close up the main forwards
of the Spanish club - van Nistelrooy, Robben and Raul - does not look
at all impossible.
So today there is a big and longed-for holiday in St. Petersburg. And
this ten-years anniversary cannot and must not be accidental. It is September
30 again and again Real is in Russia.
Sport
Express Daily, 30 Sep 2008
|
|
