FC Zenit Women: A brief insight into their season so far
In my last post I talked about how I started the FC Zenit Mauritius Twitter account as well as how my interest in the Russian game started. As well as tweeting about the men’s side, I also follow the women’s team when I can and thought I’d highlight their season so far.
Zenit’s women side were only founded last year and play their home games at the Smena Stadium in St. Petersburg. Last season they finished in fifth place (out of eight teams), CSKA claimed their second championship title.
For their debut season they did ok, (taking the pandemic into consideration and having their last game against Krasnodar postponed) they played fourteen, won four, drew three and lost seven. Memorable games include beating Chertanovo home and away (3–0 at home and 4–0 away), Zenit midfielder Nika Belova got on the score sheet in both fixtures, her goal from the 4–0 win was particularly special as she scored directly from a corner!
In addition playing fellow debutants Krasnodar at home sticks out, with the Northern Capital side equalising in the dying embers of the game, Kristina Frolova tapped in from close range to salvage a point against their Southern opponents which ended 2–2.
This season we’ve seen an improvement as well as a few changes to the team, Kristina Frolova,Yulia Zapotichnaya and goalkeeper Kristina Fedorova moved south to Rostov, Cameroonian Tatiana Ewodo and Kazakh born Aida Gaistenova joined Yenisey Krasnoyarsk respectively.
Portuguese forward Ana Dias joined from Amora FC, the twenty three year old has currently played a vital role this season and scored four goals for The Blue-White-Sky-Blues. In addition, Gabriela Grzywińska (pictured at the top wearing 51) was brought in, the Kraków born midfielder has already made an impact and scored the opening goal against Krasnodar. This time the team beat the Southerners 4–0, fan favourites Ekaterina Pantyukhina and Tatiana Morina (scored twice) also joining their Polish team mate on the score sheet.
Moreover, the club also made some domestic signings earlier on in the year, Ekaterina Pantyukhina as already mentioned has become a fan favourite and just like Ana Dias has currently scored four goals this season. Pantyukhina joined from Perm side Zvezda-2005. She has also represented the Russian national team. Other additions included Anastasia Fetisova, Veronika Kuropatkina, Elizaveta Lazareva, Lina Yakupova and Ksenia Tsybutovich. All have represented Russia at various levels.
Anastasia Shuppo has also been a key signing for Zenit, the twenty three year old Belarusian just like Ekaterina Pantyukhina and Ana Dias has scored four goals so far this season. She bagged her fourth last Friday from cooly converting from the penalty spot against Ryazan VDV and helped give Zenit their eleventh win of the season.
Zenit’s 2021 campaign started brightly, in the opening fixture at home to Ryazan VDV, the Northern Capital side won 2–1. The Visitors went ahead in the fifty third minute, Ksenia Alpatova firing into Zenit Keeper’s Yulia Grichenko’s right hand side. Ana Dias scored ten minutes later with a spectacular acrobatic finish. Elizaveta Lazareva left it right at the end with a thumping finish that sailed over Ryazan keeper Margarita Shirokova, giving the St Petersburg side its first three points of the new season.
Zenit continued their winning streak in rounds 2–4 and three was certainly the magic number. In round 2 of the Russian Women’s Superliga, Zenit were imperious against Yenisey, Ekaterina Pantyukhina gave the home side the lead when Yenisey’s keeper Angelina Tsirulnikova fumbled the twenty eight year old striker’s effort into her own net. Anastasia Shuppo doubled Zenit’s lead just before half time, the twenty three year old Belarusian struck from close range. In the eighty fourth minute, Natalia Mashina fired in to the keeper’s bottom left from inside the box to triple Zenit’s lead. In rounds 3 and 4, Zenit continued their onslaughts, beating Chertanovo 3–1 away and Rubin Kazan 3–0 at home.
In round 5 of the Russian Women’s Superliga, Zenit faced last season’s runners-up, Lokomotiv Moscow in the capital. The women’s team lost 2–0. Nelli Korovkina gave the home side the early lead from being in the right place at the right time of entering Zenit’s box as the defenders failed to mark her and she was free to slot the ball past Yulia Grichenko. Korovkina doubled the Moscow side’s lead just before half time, similar to her second, she was in the right place at the right time and slotted to the right hand side of Grichenko’s net.
Since the team’s defeat in Moscow back in late April, Zenit went on unbeaten run until early June when they faced current league champions CSKA Moscow at the VEB Arena and lost 2–0. Margarita Chernomyrdina put the Red Army in front in the fifth minute, the former Chertanovo player slotted in from close range from Nadezhda Smirnova’s cross. In the seventy first minute Anastasia Pozdeeva latched onto Yulia Slesarchik’s failed clearance and drilled the ball past Yulia Grichenko.
However, apart from the defeat in the capital June was a good month for The Blue-White-Sky-Blues as they maintained clean sheets against Rostov and Rubin Kazan respectively and winning both games (3–0 and 2–0).
July started with a narrow loss for the women’s team against Lokomotiv Moscow. Alena Ruzina netted her fourth goal of the season in the 53rd minute, the Zenit defence failed to close down the Lokomotiv striker who was gifted a through ball and was given plenty of space to beat Yulia Grichenko. It was a very physical affair with a total of seven yellow cards dished out and one red by referee Vera Opeykina. Zenit went down to ten players when Vera Simanovskaya lunged into Alena Ruzina. Manager Olga Poryadina stated after the game:
“The game, as we expected, was difficult, but I liked how my team played. In the first half, we had the advantage and good chances. In the second half, there were problems in the midfield and this turned the game upside down. In the end, we almost equalized.” Quote taken from FC Zenit Women Twitter.
Last Friday (as previously mentioned) the team faced Ryazan-VDV away at the Spartak Stadium (Ryazan) and took three points back with to the Northern Capital. Ekaterina Pantyukhina was brought down in the area by Ekaterina Zavadkina and referee Kristina Saakyan pointed to the spot and rewarded Zenit a penalty. Anastasia Shuppo stepped up and cooly struck the ball past Ryazan-VDV keeper Margarita Shirokova. Post match Olga Poryadina said that:
“We knew that it would be difficult, because Ryazan plays very good at home and shows such character, it isn’t easy for us. But we had the advantage, created chances. Of course there were some observations and we have to work on them.”
Looking at the team and Poryadina’s post match comment, Zenit this season have created many chances with many attacking options as well as playing physical. The real test so far this season has been facing Lokomotiv and current champions CSKA. The women’s team currently sits in second with thirty four points, last year’s runners-up Lokomotiv are top with forty points. CSKA sit in third on twenty eight points. With plenty of matches still to go, it will be interesting who will be crowned champions in November. The key for Olga Poryadina’s side will be consistency and the constant barrage of attacks we’ve seen in games with this new side. If this continues, she could be on to a winning formula.
