Tonight’s meeting was the team’s second match in Champions League group H. Malmö FF chose to replace the injured winger Sören Rieks with Eric Larsson, while Zenit had to start with fixed star Sardar Azmoun and team captain Dejan Lovren on the bench. Only the home team had the ball in the first minutes, without getting the ball past a dizzying MFF back line. In the seventh minute, MFF’s first attack came when a post found Anders Christiansen in front of goal, whose nod became too loose to disturb Stanislav Kritsjuk.
Two minutes later, MFF did not get the ball away in a long Zenitan case where Douglas Santos’ input found Claudinho in front of goal, who controlled the lead goal. The visitors replied 13 minutes into the game, reducing the home side’s lead to 2 – 1, as Antonio Colak dashed up the middle, easily lobbing the ball over the home team’s keeper. After 19 minutes, Jo Inge Berget sent a free kick in high over the penalty box.
Malmö FF recovered quite well from the initial shock and finally got a passing game that led to goal chances. Erdal Rakip had a fantastic opportunity to put Kritsjuk up another goal 32 minutes into the match, but he fired just over the crossbar. Zenit played with less risk then, but the minute before half time the home team countered through Malcom who only got on a half hit from a good position.
However, Malmö FF would get a nightmare start also in the second half. Dimitrij Tjistjakov’s post found Daler Kuzjaev in the middle of the penalty area, and the midfielder nodded in 2-0 in the 49th minute. It continued when Anel Ahmedhodzic stopped the ball with his arm in a duel as the last defender. The referee had no doubts and he gave a penalty in favor of Zenit.
The home team was able to maintain control for the rest of the match and Wendel tested Johan Dahlin with a shot ten minutes after the red card. Aleksej Sutormin had a fantastic opportunity to put Dahlin up another goal 72 minutes into the match, but he fired just over the crossbar. Five minutes later, MFF jumper Sergio Peña fired a long-range shot straight at Kritsjuk.
But Sutormin was to score the most beautiful goal of the match in the 80th minute, when his left shot from 25-30 meters looked in next to Dahlin’s right post. The match also ended 4-0 to Zenit after a late goal by Wendel and that means that Malmö FF now has two straight losses in the tournament. Zenit is on the same score as Chelsea and Juventus, who meet later tonight.
– We started badly. The first ten in the first half were not good. Then we got one against us. Then the last 35 in the first was good. Then we played well, but then we started in the same way and got a goal against us and a red card. Then we really had no chance. Then the referee made a mistake and we got a goal against us, says Jo Inge Berget to C More.
He continues:
– You are punished all the time if you make mistakes. We were down 3-0 with ten men and gave them one more goal. Then it became four and you do not want that. We are not at this level. We’re not there. That is where we want and then we have to work.
The mountain of Ahmedhodzic’s expulsion:
– It probably hit him. It’s bad luck, he meant nothing by that, but he was the last man and when he got the ball on his hand it was maybe red. It became difficult with ten men against a good team. 4-0, that was not how we wanted it.
MFF captain Anders Christiansen is also disappointed afterwards.
– I think we played a stable first half. We talked about being in the match for as long as possible, but then they got a quick 2-0 goal and we got a red card. It changed the focus completely. I think we had as many chances as them, but you get punished for the slightest mistake at this level. It was also hard to play ten against eleven for 35-40 minutes. We just tried to close later, says the Dane.
Startelvor
Zenit S:t Petersburg: Kritsjuk – Barrios, Tjistjakov, Rakytskyj – Sutormin (substituted 84 ‘), Kuzjaev (75’), Wendel, Santos – Malcom, Dziuba (K) (84 ‘), Claudinho (75’).
Byten: Azmoun, Erokhin (75 ‘), Mostovoi, Kravtsov (84’), Krugovoi (88 ‘).
Malmö FF: Dahlin – Ahmedhodzic, Nielsen, Brorsson (substituted 88 ‘) – Larsson, Innocent (63’), Christiansen (K), Rakip (55 ‘), Berget – Birmancevic (88’), Colak (63 ‘)
Substitutes: Olsson (55 ‘), Abubakari, Peña (63’), Eile, Nalic (88 ‘)
Yellow cards: Rakip (30 ‘), Brorsson (86’)
Expulsion: Ahmedhodzic (53 ‘)
This season is being streamed all matches from the Uefa Champions League at Telia and C More.
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