Zenit lifts UEFA Cup
MANCHESTER, England: Russian champion Zenit St Petersburg won its first European silverware when second-half goals from Igor Denisov and Konstantin Zyrianov secured a 2-0 victory over Rangers in the UEFA Cup final on Wednesday.
Denisov slotted home after 72 minutes and fellow midfielder Zyrianov sealed victory with a close-range effort in stoppage time at the City of Manchester stadium to secure the trophy for Zenit in its first European final.
It was the second UEFA Cup success by a Russian side in four seasons following CSKA Moscow's triumph in 2005.
"Winning a prize like this does not come often in your life," Zenit coach Dick Advocaat told a news conference. "We are very proud that Zenit won tonight and after the way we played in this tournament, we really deserved it."
Rangers supporters traveled south from Glasgow in the thousands, easily outnumbering the Zenit fans inside the stadium and thronging the city center to watch on big screens.
However, trouble flared when one screen broke down and riot police had to move in to restore order under a hail of bottles. A total of 30 fans were arrested during the evening and one Russian fan was stabbed in the back after the match.
On the pitch, the defeat suffered by Rangers ended its quest for an unlikely quadruple with the Scottish League Cup winner still contesting the league title and also lining up in the Scottish FA Cup final later this month.
"I cannot speak highly enough of the group of players we have," said Rangers manager Walter Smith. "We didn't think this season would lead to a European final. Obviously, we're disappointed to lose after a good campaign for us."
Zenit failed to reproduce its impressive demolition of competition favorite Bayern Munich in the semifinals but its attacking qualities, honed by Dutch coach Dick Advocaat, were too much for a spirited Rangers side.
Agencies
(China Daily 05/16/2008 page23)
