Played
October 3, 2012 12:00 PM EDT
Stadion Petrovskij — Sankt-Peterburg (St. Petersburg)
Referee: F. Brych
Attendance: 21570
October 3, 2012 12:00 PM EDT
Stadion Petrovskij — Sankt-Peterburg (St. Petersburg)
Referee: F. Brych
Attendance: 21570
Top of the Match
Christian Abbiati
Milan
Milan
Christian Abbiati
Milan
Milan
Flop of the Match
Axel Witsel
Zenit
Zenit
Tomás Hubocan
Zenit
Zenit
Goal.com Rating 
Fans' Rating Zenit St Petersburg 2-3 AC Milan: Abbiati brilliance earns Rossoneri valuable Group C victory
The Rossoneri began brilliantly, scoring twice inside the opening 16 minutes, but they were ultimately indebted to their goalkeeper and good luck for a much-needed win
By Mark Doyle
AFP
Fortune smiled on AC Milan as the struggling Italian outfit claimed its first win in Champions League Group C by edging out Zenit 3-2 in an enthralling encounter at the Petrovsky Stadium on Wednesday night.
The Rossoneri made a rip-roaring start to the game, racking up two goals in the space of three first-half minutes through Urby Emanuelson and Stephan El Shaarawy. However, Hulk dragged Zenit back into the game with a fine strike just before the break before setting up Roman Shirokov for the equalizer early in the second period.
Milan wasn't done, though, and it snatched a precious win courtesy of an unfortunate own goal by Tomas Hubocan that consigned Zenit to a first home defeat in UEFA competition since September 2008.
As it was, it took an element of fortune for Milan to break the deadlock 13 minutes in, with Vyacheslav Malafeev unable to change direction quick enough to keep out an Emanuelson free kick that had taken a wicked deflection off Shirokov.
What followed just moments later, though, bore the hallmarks of greatness, El Shaarawy picking the ball up some 35 meters from goal before gliding past Viktor Fayzulin, then flicked the ball around the outside of Nicolas Lombaerts before finishing with the confidence of a player who is in the form of his young life.
Zenit’s players were visibly stunned by the concession of two goals in quick succession and it took them some time to regain their composure. However, after spending the first half hour on his backside, appealing for nonexistent free kicks, Hulk gradually began to prove his significant worth to the home side’s cause.
The Brazil international produced two wonderful deliveries towards the tail end of the half, both of which resulted in Abbiati being called into action, with the first cross taking a nick off Riccardo Montolivo and the second very nearly redirected into the bottom corner by Roman Shirokov.
Hulk also twice stung the hands of the Rossoneri keeper with well-struck drives - the second of which was a free kick - before he deservedly halved the hosts’ deficit right on the stroke of halftime, driving the ball home left-footed after being slipped in on goal by Shirokov.
That goal came in injury time at the end of an absorbing opening period, and Zenit was level within four minutes of the restart. Shirokov made amends for his part in Emanuelson’s goal by popping up unmarked at the far post to head home Hulk’s corner from the right-hand side.
The momentum was now very much with the Russians but Milan really should have reclaimed the lead six minutes later, but Boateng headed wide from some eight yards out, after stretching to get his head on the end of Ignazio Abate’s cross.
Buoyed by that near miss, Milan continued to press and it nicked a crucial win when Hubocan, under pressure from Giampaolo Pazzini, made a mess of a cross from Montolivo and put through his own net.
Consequently, the Rossoneri will now go into their crunch double-header header with Malaga with confidence renewed, while Zenit is now facing elimination ahead of meetings with Anderlecht after back-to-back defeats.
The Rossoneri made a rip-roaring start to the game, racking up two goals in the space of three first-half minutes through Urby Emanuelson and Stephan El Shaarawy. However, Hulk dragged Zenit back into the game with a fine strike just before the break before setting up Roman Shirokov for the equalizer early in the second period.
Milan wasn't done, though, and it snatched a precious win courtesy of an unfortunate own goal by Tomas Hubocan that consigned Zenit to a first home defeat in UEFA competition since September 2008.
As it was, it took an element of fortune for Milan to break the deadlock 13 minutes in, with Vyacheslav Malafeev unable to change direction quick enough to keep out an Emanuelson free kick that had taken a wicked deflection off Shirokov.
What followed just moments later, though, bore the hallmarks of greatness, El Shaarawy picking the ball up some 35 meters from goal before gliding past Viktor Fayzulin, then flicked the ball around the outside of Nicolas Lombaerts before finishing with the confidence of a player who is in the form of his young life.
Zenit’s players were visibly stunned by the concession of two goals in quick succession and it took them some time to regain their composure. However, after spending the first half hour on his backside, appealing for nonexistent free kicks, Hulk gradually began to prove his significant worth to the home side’s cause.
The Brazil international produced two wonderful deliveries towards the tail end of the half, both of which resulted in Abbiati being called into action, with the first cross taking a nick off Riccardo Montolivo and the second very nearly redirected into the bottom corner by Roman Shirokov.
Hulk also twice stung the hands of the Rossoneri keeper with well-struck drives - the second of which was a free kick - before he deservedly halved the hosts’ deficit right on the stroke of halftime, driving the ball home left-footed after being slipped in on goal by Shirokov.
That goal came in injury time at the end of an absorbing opening period, and Zenit was level within four minutes of the restart. Shirokov made amends for his part in Emanuelson’s goal by popping up unmarked at the far post to head home Hulk’s corner from the right-hand side.
The momentum was now very much with the Russians but Milan really should have reclaimed the lead six minutes later, but Boateng headed wide from some eight yards out, after stretching to get his head on the end of Ignazio Abate’s cross.
Buoyed by that near miss, Milan continued to press and it nicked a crucial win when Hubocan, under pressure from Giampaolo Pazzini, made a mess of a cross from Montolivo and put through his own net.
Consequently, the Rossoneri will now go into their crunch double-header header with Malaga with confidence renewed, while Zenit is now facing elimination ahead of meetings with Anderlecht after back-to-back defeats.
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Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Cristiano Ronaldo Striker Real Madrid |
12 | 0 |
|
Robert Lewandowski Striker Borussia Dortmund |
10 | 1 |
|
Thomas Müller Striker FC Bayern München |
8 | 1 |
|
Lionel Messi Striker Barcelona |
8 | 0 |
|
Burak Yılmaz Striker Galatasaray |
8 | 0 |
