Less than a month has passed since the youth teams of Dynamo and Zenit met again. This time the host side was the blue-white-blue. Our team played the first round match, which took place on April 28 in Novogorsk, too hospitably and allowed the St. Petersburg team to take a big victory from the Moscow region (4:0).

Was there any talk of a rematch in the return match? The question is rather rhetorical. Zenit is one of the real candidates for victory in the Youth League, and the team from St. Petersburg scores astronomically a lot - on average 7.8 goals per game. Dynamo's performance is an order of magnitude lower - only 3.3 goals per game, but if we consider these numbers out of context and without reference to a specific tournament, then the performance is very, very respectable.

The blue and white remembered the quick goal they conceded in Novogorsk already in the second minute - then it was the quick goal that became a cold shower for our team and turned the game upside down. The Dynamo coaching staff emphasized discipline in defense from the very first minutes, as well as meaningful ball control.

This time, replenishment from the base arrived in the person of Taranchenko, Nikitina, Malesia and Petrova, who entered the field in the starting lineup. They were accompanied by Volobueva, Senoyedova, Greuli, Demidova, Orlova, Razvorotneva, Yakovenko.

The game immediately started on a collision course, without any buildup. At the same time, the guests were a little more active - the blue and white attacked more interestingly, using both the center of the field and the flanks. However, the hosts also had their moments, quite dangerous ones at that, and literally the third scoring episode ended with a goal when, after an error by the Dynamo defense, Elena Golik gained space in the penalty area and opened the scoring in the match - 1:0.

On the wave of success, the anti-aircraft guns ran forward and almost doubled the lead, but Arina Taranchenko made a spectacular save. Unfortunately, the game pattern repeated itself, and Zenit again seized the initiative, playing first and dictating its terms. The Dynamos had their chances, but there weren’t many of them and they weren’t yet effective. Basically, the guests preferred to use the right flank of the attack, where the entire edge was covered by the reactive Kristina Yakovenko, but she was met quite closely by the opponent, often two or even three.

By the middle of the half the game had calmed down. Zenit continued to control the match, but the number of dangerous moments decreased. The blue and white established teamwork and took the game away from their goal. Accordingly, opportunities began to appear in attack, but the hosts’ tight defense did not allow Daria Selikhova to get close to the penalty area.

The last 10-15 minutes of the first half were left to Dynamo, who were getting closer and closer to the hosts’ goal, but the score on the scoreboard was the same – 1:0 in favor of Zenit.

Unfortunately, the second half started exactly the same as the first. Zenit scored a quick goal again, and did it in the same ill-fated fifth minute - this time Yulia Udovichenko scored. The hosts took advantage of Dynamo's mistake in attack, quickly moved the ball into the attacking zone and ran three to two. The result is a goal, and the scoreboard is 2:0.

The missed goal seriously affected the game and the plans of the guests, because the teams went into the break with Dynamo's advantage. And at the very beginning of the second half, it was the blue and white who were more active, faster and pressed all over the field.

The hosts made a number of substitutions, which significantly refreshed and sped up their game. The Dynamo coaching staff also made changes: Linnikova and Kolesnikov were replaced by Razvorotneva and Demidova. Time passed, but nothing changed. The Dynamo team tried, made every effort, but they could not stop the accelerating Zenit.

We record - another defeat from the St. Petersburg team, and another match with zero in the “goals scored” column. Over the past two years, Dynamo has not managed to open the gates of Zenit. We will improve in the next matches.

For complete information about the starting lineups and events of the meeting, see the match center.