The Dynamo youth team closed the spring part of the season with a defeat from Zenit

Before the new meeting of Dynamo and Zenit in the Youth League, it was the Moscow team that was considered the favorite for almost the first time since the blue and white team played in the championship. The Dynamo team had a series of four wins in a row, and high performance (17 goals in 4 games), and in general Oleg Gusev's team approached the meeting in St. Petersburg with a good mood. But Zenit is performing this season so far with varying success, alternating wins with draws.

However, this time everything turned out exactly in favor of the opponents of the Dynamo team, despite not the most favorable circumstances for them during this match. For Dynamo, the beginning of the guest meeting turned out to be the best. Firstly, already in the first minutes, the blue and white created at least two potentially scoring chances: first, Anastasia Kovaleva did not realize a one-on-one with Zenit goalkeeper Victoria Ivanova-Merciless, and then Irina Dricheva and Svetlana Vinnikova had a good chance to open the account, but this time they failed to do so.. However, Zenit also failed to do this when the Dynamo goalkeeper Maria Leontieva pulled the ball out from under the crossbar with a smart jump.

Well, when Ivanova received a straight red card in the 17th minute for the "foul of the last hope" on Vinnikova, it seemed that the merciless game would continue according to the blue-and-white scenario. Unfortunately, the expectations did not come true at all, not only did Zenit, despite the removal, continue to own the initiative and regularly carry out attacks of varying degrees of danger, but also at the end of half an hour Dynamo had to make a forced replacement: Anastasia Kovaleva, who was injured, was replaced by Alexandra Shevchenko.

Well, in the 33rd minute, an unpleasant thing happened at all: blue-white-blue midfielder Darina Ishmukhametova hit the Dynamo goal so precisely that the ball immediately passed both Valeria Azeev and Daniella Petrova, who were standing in his way, and goalkeeper Maria Leontieva, who was trying in a desperate jump to save the team from the goal. But everything turned out to be unsuccessful – Zenit, playing in the minority, opened an account.

The most amazing thing is that even after that, the hostesses continued to put pressure on the rivals and create moments. However, the end of the half still remained for Dynamo: Ekaterina Sergeeva, fresh Shevchenko beat, and in the added time the blue and white really crushed the hostesses, earning two corners in a row. But the main thing – the ball in the net of Zenit's goal – did not happen in the end.

In the second half, Oleg Gusev's wards came out as charged as possible. Still, the situation obliged – it was not the case to concede to a team playing in the minority from the 17th minute, albeit on its own field. Dynamo could have equalized the score already in the first minute of the second half, but Sergeeva hit the crossbar!

The first 15 minutes after the break were generally dictated by Dynamo: the team made a real pile on the Zenit gate, but all the shots performed by the players (most often they beat Sergeev and Drichev) stubbornly did not go on target or were taken by Daria Selikhova, who quite successfully replaced the removed Ivanova-Merciless.

Well, then the story of the first half was repeated, partly inexplicable. The hostesses playing in the minority first seized the initiative, began to take advantage of mistakes in the Dynamo defense and conduct good attacks. And in the 66th minute, the blue-white-blue midfielder Daria Kotlova even performed, perhaps, the most curious goal of this season in the Youth League: she slightly struck from the right flank directly into the hands of Maria Leontieva, who ... did not hold the ball and missed it into the goal. Completely illogical 0:2 in favor of Zenit left the Dynamo team illusory chances of final success.

Yes, our girls had moments for the next half hour of the game, and not bad ones. Sasha Shevchenko alone could hit the opponents' goal twice, and at one point with a beautiful blow through herself. At the end of the meeting, Katya Sergeeva missed her chance again, whose goal, if it had happened, could also have claimed the title of one of the most spectacular of the season. But, but, but…

The number of moments did not translate into quality in any way – that is, the goals scored, and the wards of Roman Levendeev were still in the minority competently fought back and, if possible, snapped, constantly keeping the Dynamo defense in suspense. In the end, this tactic brought the youth of St. Petersburg an important victory and a breakthrough in the standings several lines up at once.

Well, Dynamo football players can only complain about themselves for missed opportunities and mistakes that they did not allow themselves to make earlier this season.

For full information about the starting lineups and the events of the meeting, see the match center.