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Zenit lift UEFA Cup after 2-0 win over Rangers
Published on Thu, May 15, 2008 at 09:53 in Sports » Football section
Tags: Soccer, Uefa Cup , Manchester
WINNER: Zenit St. Petersburg's team with the trophy after winning the UEFA Cup final football match against Rangers.
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The Dutch side had gone 32 games unbeaten at home in Europe since entering the competition in 1977.
Manchester: Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg won their 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 their first European final.
It was the second UEFA Cup success by a Russian side in four seasons following CSKA Moscow's triumph in 2005.
Rangers supporters had travelled south from Glasgow in their thousands, easily outnumbering the Zenit fans inside the stadium and thronging the city centre to watch on big screens.
Defeat ended their quest for an unlikely quadruple with the Scottish League Cup winners still contesting the league title and lining up in the Scottish FA Cup final later this month.
Zenit failed to reproduce their impressive demolition of competition favourites Bayern Munich in the semi-finals but their attacking qualities, honed by Dutch coach Dick Advocaat, were too much for a spirited Rangers side.
Zenit gave an early demonstration of their counter-attacking prowess when captain Anatoly Tymoschuk robbed a hesitant Brahim Hemdani in midfield and a swift break ended with Andrei Arshavin shooting narrowly wide.
Rangers quickly settled though and Zenit's Victor Fayzulin made a well-timed interception to clear Jean-Claude Darcheville's dangerous cross into the goalmouth in a decent opening for both sides.
Intricate passing
The Russian side enjoyed plenty of possession with Tymoschuk at the heart of some intricate passing moves.
Fayzulin headed over an Arshavin cross, then Alexander Anyukov tested Rangers goalkeeper Neil Alexander with a rasping drive.
Rangers were content to soak up the pressure, showing little attacking intent of their own as Zenit probed away with Arshavin a menacing presence on the left flank.
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