Football
“It’s unlikely that Semak is happy.” Bubnov did not like Zenit’s performance in the victorious match with Sochi
The Sportbox.ru expert believes that the St. Petersburg coach played it safe after the second goal.
A match from the “play and forget” category. In a week no one will remember about him. The current state did not allow Sochi to claim anything serious even in the match with Zenit, which was in suboptimal conditions. Southerners naturally take last place. The whole question was how much the visitors would score and how they would do it.
Zenit was probably seriously looking forward to this game; after all, the team is not in the best position in the WORLD RPL standings after two consecutive defeats. But the early penalty relaxed the St. Petersburg team; they realized that they didn’t have to work too hard to win.
The guests played practically on foot. Sochi did not create any problems for their opponents. Playing positional defense against Zenit without pressing is like death. It was possible to try your luck on the “standards”, but a weak functional state did not allow you to push the game away from your own goals.
After the second goal, when almost the entire team from Sochi simply watched their opponents play from the penalty area, the Zenit players understood everything and finally calmed down. This match is one of the few this season in which Semak’s team actually won in class. However, it cannot be said that the guests played flawlessly.
Open video
It is unlikely that Sergei Bogdanovich will be satisfied with the team’s performance. The game was of low quality, one of the worst in content this season. Even in lost matches, Zenit acted faster, creating many more dangerous moments. Paradoxically, the team won with more defects than in previous meetings.
Semak’s desire to constantly play it safe already makes me smile. In pursuit of a result, he completely killed the game by releasing a third central defender. This kind of substitution can still be understood with the leaders, but with a championship outsider it seems like too much.
Sochi is catastrophically unlucky. In addition to purely gaming problems, injuries were added. Replacing the creative Noboa is a loss for the Southerners. The departure of two central defenders from the field does not add to optimism.
Last season, Torpedo found themselves in the same difficult situation, but the “black and whites” did not have such a good squad at their disposal. It is all the more surprising that based on the results of 11 rounds, Sochi is the main contender for relegation. As if the team didn’t completely fall apart after this. It will be a great pity.
You still need to try to get to such a difficult state with frequent changes of coaches. The team can now be saved by a pause for national team games. Almost all players will remain at Tochilin’s disposal. There will be time to recover physically and psychologically.
Live broadcasts of MIR RPL matches can be watched on the Match TV and MATCH PREMIER TV channels, as well as on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.
Source: Sportbox
Thomas Astudillo is a sports journalist and author who writes for Sportish. He has a deep love and knowledge of sports, and is known for his engaging and informative writing on the latest sports news and events.
For many, the coming year is associated with bright hopes and expectations of changes for the better in life and work. The famous football coach is no exception. Vladimir SharanShared with the reporter Spor.ua Statements about the New Year theme.
– Until what age did you believe in Santa Claus?
– I don’t even remember. Probably up to age six. No more. Until I went to school.
– What is the most unusual New Year celebration in your life?
– The most unusual and extraordinary was the New Year, which I spent in Israel during my stay as a player in the USSR youth team. An international tournament was organized in this country, in which our team participated. It’s plus twenty outside and we’re celebrating the new year in shorts and T-shirts.
The next day we had to play against the Swedish national team in the final. The Swedes sat next to our table on New Year’s Eve, they saw how we relaxed, and how we relaxed. Believe me, we rested much better and played much better (smiles). As it turned out, the Swedes were very weak at the festive table. We won the final match 2-0.
– As a Ukrainian citizen and a football coach, what do you expect from the new year 2026?
– To be honest, everyone is waiting for one thing; peace. And I’m not the only one who can say that. If there is peace, everything will return to normal. I really want the war to end as soon as possible, for people to be free, for parents not to bury their children. This is the most important thing. And as a coach, I expect changes for the better in our football.
I would like the Ukrainian championship to be full-fledged and finally achieve some kind of stability. And also for the Ukrainian national team to successfully pass the World Cup play-off tests and please the fans as often as possible. I also really want the football players in our club to have a good future, to become real football masters, to gain recognition and to be invited to various national teams.
Source: Sport UA
I am a writer at Sportish, where I mainly cover sports news. I’ve also written for The Guardian and ESPN Brasil, and my work has been featured on NBC Sports, SI.com and more. Before working in journalism, I was an athlete: I played football for Colgate University and competed in the US Open Cross Country Championships.
Ukraine national football teams completed 2025and the Ukrainian Football Federation summarize the results.
UAF releases all goals of men’s and women’s national teams in 2025
Sergei Rebrov’s team had an unsuccessful start to 2025, losing to Belgium in the Nations League play-offs (3:1, 0:3). The blue-yellows played two friendly matches against Canada (2:4) and New Zealand (2:1) in June.
In the autumn, the Ukrainian team qualified for the 2026 World Cup and took second place in the group with France, Iceland and Azerbaijan. The blue-yellows made it to the play-offs to participate in the World Cup. During the year, the team had 5 wins, 1 draw and 4 losses, average score: 17-20.
VIDEO. All goals of the Ukrainian men’s team in 2025
VIDEO. All goals of the Ukrainian women’s team in 2025
Source: Sport UA
I am a writer at Sportish, where I mainly cover sports news. I’ve also written for The Guardian and ESPN Brasil, and my work has been featured on NBC Sports, SI.com and more. Before working in journalism, I was an athlete: I played football for Colgate University and competed in the US Open Cross Country Championships.
Ukraine national football teams completed 2025and the Ukrainian Football Federation summarize the results.
UAF reported: “In 2025, 156 matches (including friendly matches against clubs) were played by Ukrainian national, junior and youth men’s and women’s football teams, futsal, beach football and amphibious teams.”
Sergei Rebrov’s team had an unsuccessful start to 2025, losing to Belgium in the Nations League play-offs (3:1, 0:3). The blue-yellows played two friendly matches against Canada (2:4) and New Zealand (2:1) in June.
In the autumn, the Ukrainian team qualified for the 2026 World Cup and took second place in the group with France, Iceland and Azerbaijan. The blue-yellows made it to the play-offs to participate in the World Cup. During the year, the team had 5 wins, 1 draw and 4 losses, average score: 17-20.
Statistics: 10 matches of the Ukrainian national team in 2025 (+5=1–4)
infographics
Source: Sport UA
I am a writer at Sportish, where I mainly cover sports news. I’ve also written for The Guardian and ESPN Brasil, and my work has been featured on NBC Sports, SI.com and more. Before working in journalism, I was an athlete: I played football for Colgate University and competed in the US Open Cross Country Championships.
-
Ligue 13 years agoRenato Sanchez signed in Paris for five years
-
Europa League4 years agoIn transfer alert at Olympiakos for additions and concessions
-
Europa League4 years agoFenerbahce – Eintracht 1: 1: The Germans took 1st place in the Olympiacos group
-
Europa League4 years agoWithout Nainggolan and Samata, the 11th team from Antwerp
-
Europa League4 years agoEuropa League
-
Europa League4 years agoAtalanta announced the acquisition of Boga
-
Europa League4 years agoFears that Zapata will be out for 4 months
-
Premier League4 years agoExcept for the rest of January, Sean was injured