A thrilling and breathless evening of pure attacking football saw Zenit St. Petersburg went blow for blow with European giants, Real Madrid, but the more experienced Spaniards came out on top thanks to a van Nistelrooy winner.Real Madrid were desperate to end their seven game winless streak away from home and they found themselves on the right track when they went infront through an own goal by Zenit centreback Hubocan.
Danny managed to equalize for the hosts in the 24th minute but all their hardwork went straight down the drain when the visitors restored their lead just six minutes later through goalscorer extra-ordinaire, van Nistelrooy.
First Half
Zenit began positively infront of an electric and thunderous crowd at the Petrovsky Stadium. But Madrid were able to quickly wrestle control and after just two minutes, they conjured up their first attempt at goal.
Van Nistelrooy casually dinked in a cross to Higuaín who, completely unmarked, thumped a bullet header goalwards and Malafeev was forced to make a superb reflex save to parry the ball over.span class="fullpost">
The Russians failed to clear the resulting corner Madrid worked their way into the lead. Van der Vaart slid in a harmless looking low cross from the right and Hubocan, under pressure from a crowd of advancing black shirts behind him, smashed the ball into his own net.
Three minutes later, the Zenit’s backline was exposed again when Robben slipped in van Nistelrooy but the striker slipped just as he pulled trigger on the edge of the box and ballooned the shot well over.
The home sides looked utterly overwhelmed as they struggled to find their normal rhythm and range and it took Dick Advocaat’s men until the 20th minute before finally settled into the game and created their first real threat.
Danny streaked down the left wing and his deflected low cross found Pogrebnyak but Casillas dashed off his line quick enough to smother the ball, although he received a knock to his knee for his troubles. Moment later, Arshavin thumped in a half volley just outside the box but his effort lacked any real power or direction to trouble the Madrid goalkeeper.
But Zenit’s attacking persistence and patience paid off when they levelled proceedings on 24 minutes. Arshavin floated in a cross from the left and Danny lunged forward at the far post to beat a sloppy Heinze to the ball and knocked it in past a stunned Casillas.
Straight from the restart, Madrid charged forward and van der Vaart tested Malafeev with a stinging shot from 20 yards out but the goalie did well to fist it well clear.
And the Spaniards were back infront right on the half hour mark. Van der Vaart’s initial shot ricochet off Puygrenier and van Nistelrooy latched on to the loose ball to finish off clinically with a left-footed shot across the face of Malafeev.
Five minutes later, Higuaín had a glorious chance to make it three when van der Vaart put him through with a cheeky backheel but the Argentine drilled his effort just over the bar.
The half ended strongly with chances at both ends. Danny first had a penalty claim waved away when he was shoulder charged off the ball by Diarrà, before Denisov caused some panic in the Madrid goal when his cross-cum-shot was clumsily fumbled out by Casillas.
From the ensuing corner, Hubocan’s header pinballed off a crowd of players before dropping kindly into the gloves of the merengue shot-stopper. From that, Madrid launched a rapid counter attack when Robben powered down the right flank and whipped in a low ball across the face of goal but it carried too much pace as it flew past just infront of Higuaín.
Second Half
Zenit again started with zest and Arshavin caused some mayhem in the Madrid goal early on when his cross was untidily cleared but the Spanish giants got their reprieve when Hubocan handled the ball amid the scramble.
But just like the first period, Madrid almost stunned their hosts through their first attack of the half. Higuaín threaded in a through pass to Robben but the Dutchman’s poor first touch let him down as he allowed the ball to run ahead of him and Malafeev rushed out to collect.
Robben then tried to make amends for that on 55 minutes when he pummelled in a fierce drive from 25 yards out but his swerving effort did not have enough dip to creep in under the bar.
Los Merengues continued to press forward relentlessly as the Russian champions were pinned back in their own half. But once the game passed the hour mark, Bernd Schuster’s side retreated in an attempt to protect their lead.
Zenit sensed their chance and poured forward in numbers and Casillas had to pull off a crucial double save in quick succession, first to deny Arshavin’s curling cross that somehow trickled all the way to the far post, before he turned around Sirl’s powerful low drive with his fingertips.
Robben then forced Malafeev to a near identical save at the other end, before Higuaín spurned another scoring opportunity. He had done well to flick the ball over the shoulder of Pugrenier to release himself towards goal but his attempted chip was blocked by the on-rushing Malafeev.
Zenit then had a triple chance to draw level inside the space of three minutes in the final quarter of the game. First, Danny’s cutback on the byline found Domínguez but his close range effort was blocked by the legs of Casillas. Zyryanov then saw his header just shaved the bar, before Arshavin’s low drive inside the box cannoned off the foot of the post.
The Spanish champions had every man behind the ball in the final ten minutes of the contest as Zenit peppered the Madrid goal with crosses, shots and kitchen sinks, while the visiting defence adopted an “anywhere-will-do” philosophy.
Zenit’s last and final chance to salvage a point arrived a minute into injury time. Arshavin danced past two defenders down the left flank to tee up Danny but the Portuguese’s first time shot whistled over the bar via a slight deflection off Pepe’s back.
Los Blancos held on desperately for their first away victory in Champions League football in almost two years and for the first time in five seasons, they managed to win both their opening two games of the competition.
LINE-UPS
Zenit St. Petersburg (4-3-3): Malafeev – Anyukov, Puygrenier, Hubocan (Domínguez 72’), Sirl – Zyryanov, Tymoshchuk, Denisov – Danny, Pogrebnyak (Tekke 72’), Arshavin
Unused subs: Contofalsky, Shirokov, Fayzulin, Ricksen, Dong Jin
Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Casillas – Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Cannavaro, Heinze – Diarrà, De La Red – Van der Vaart (Javi García 62’), Higuaín (Saviola 87’), Robben (Drenthe 61’) – Van Nistelrooy
Unused subs: Dudek, Raúl, Marcelo, Torres
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