For the second time this year, the legends of Spartak and Zenit delight fans with their irreconcilable rivalry on the field. On the evening of September 2, the best players of the past took to the field of the Muscovites’ home stadium to determine the winners of the principled confrontation.

The Red-Whites, after an embarrassing loss in St. Petersburg, decided not to waste time on trifles and invited veterans of two active players to play in the match. This dubious move eventually helped the capital’s team to take revenge on the Zenit.

Preparing for a rematch

The second meeting of the legends, which took place two days before the match between Spartak and Zenit in the MIR RPL, aroused great interest among fans and former team players. Several thousand fans came to the stands of the Otkritie-Arena, who had every reason to expect a bright game after the show that the veterans put on in July. Moreover, this time both teams have strengthened their lineups quite well.

Pitertsy brought the legendary legionnaires Miguel Danny and Alejandro Dominguez. Igor Denisov and Pavel Pogrebnyak, who recently finished playing football, also appeared in the Blue-White-Blues.

But the veterans of Spartak went further. They called under their banners two active players who still play as part of a professional club. We are talking about Roman Pavlyuchenko and Andrey Yeshchenko, who just this week defended the colors of the Znamya football club. This fact angered the Zenitites. They tried to protest before the start of the game, but their displeasure went unheeded.

Roman Pavlyuchenko / Photo: © FC Znamya

Both players appeared in the Moscow Region team in the second round of the Russian Cup against the Peresvet team. If Pavlyuchenko was entrusted with only half an hour of playing time, then Yeshchenko spent all 90 minutes on the field. To the disappointment of the Noginsk fans, the presence of titled players did not help the club to break through to the next stage. “Znamya” lost to amateurs with a score of 2:1. Legendary players failed to score goals.

The Sleeping Giant turned the game around

The match against Zenit veterans turned out differently for the players. Yeshchenko and Pavlyuchenko appeared on the field from the very first minutes of the game and eventually played a significant role in the victory of their team. However, the beginning of the match was not in favor of the capital team. The score was opened by Zenit: Igor Denisov was in the right place after the ball bounced, sending it into the far corner with a volley.

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But Pavlyuchenko’s goal allowed Spartak’s players to turn the tide of the meeting. Roman equalized the score in brilliant style: the striker burst into the penalty area and, in the fall, closed the canopy from the right flank from Denis Boyarintsev. Yeshchenko also had his moment, but the flank defender of the “red-whites” failed to outplay Yuri Okroshidze in close combat.

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In the second half, the Muscovites still put the squeeze on the guests from the northern capital. Alexander Shirko drove the ball into the goal after another pass from the flank, bringing Spartak victory in a principled confrontation.

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Zenit had a chance to level the score at the end of the match, but goalkeeper Artyom Rebrov, who appeared on the field, saved the team from a missed goal. The match ended with the victory of “Spartak” – 2:1.