Without Nino and with Gerson out, Zenit is eliminated in the Russian Cup

Zenit even beat Dinamo Moscow 1-0 at the VTB Arena, but did not avoid elimination in the Russian Cup. The 3-1 defeat in the first leg weighed heavily, and the Saint Petersburg team fell on aggregate, on a night of discreet performance by the Brazilians – with Gerson off, Luiz Henrique irregular and Nino, speculated in Brazilian football, starting on the bench after feeling discomfort before the match.

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Sergei Semak dared to select almost all of the starters and gave a central role to players who had played in Brazilian football. Gerson, formerly of Flamengo, started as a midfielder on the left, with freedom to enter the area. Luiz Henrique, ex-Botafogo, played wide, while Gustavo Mantuan and Pedro – both revealed by Corinthians – formed the defensive spine.

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The dominance was absolute. Zenit managed to record almost 80% possession of the ball before the break, creating successive chances. Mantuan crossed for Alip to almost open the scoring, and Pedro hit a free kick that went just wide of the post. Gerson, in his best moment of the match, dropped a bomb that forced Lunev to make a great save.

But despite the pressure, the sky blue-white team only found the net in the 29th minute: Mostovoy conceded a penalty after a VAR review and converted. The goal ignited the duel, and Glushenkov – after a pass from Pedro – missed a clear chance from the small area. It was proof that the classification could have changed hands in the first half.

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Zenit insists, Brazilians keep trying, but elimination is confirmed

Without Nino, replaced at the last minute by Erakovic, the defense was not required much, but showed some insecurity when Dinamo tried to escape at speed. The absence of the former Fluminense player reinforced the feeling that Zenit was playing a final without their defensive leader.

Luiz Henrique, more active at the beginning of the second half, almost scored an own goal after an accidental deflection from an opponent's free kick, saved by Latyshonok. Mantuan, with a strong rhythm, created good individual play on the right, while Pedro tried to appear as a reference, but was blocked in his submissions.

Semak still made use of Sobolev, Vega and Luciano, but Dynamo retreated once and for all, defending themselves as best they could. Gerson, on an uninspired night, finished poorly on a rebound inside the area. Mantuan risked a dangerous shot from distance. Pedro tried to work between the lines, but ran into the opponent's compression. Nothing worked.

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