Yuri Alberto sparkles in stellar Zenit dominance

Zenit St. Petersburg 6-0 KAMAZ
Russian Cup Last 16
Thursday 3 March, Gazprom Arena

Goals: Zenit - Mostovoy 17’, 48’, Alberto 26’, 45’, Erokhin 37’, Dzyuba 85' 

Kamaz had no answer to the full might of a relatively strong Zenit lineup as they struggled to contain Yuri Alberto. A new-look back three including debutants Nuraly Alip and Arsen Adamov had very little to do in all honesty, leaving the forwards to wreak havoc.

Alberto had a hand in four of the five goals, bagging two for himself and setting up two more, while Andrey Mostovoy scored two of his own. Possibly the pick of the bunch, however, was Aleksandr Erokhin’s instinctive outside-of-the-boot curling effort to make it 3-0.

The game was so comfortable, that when Artem Dzyuba was brought off the bench he almost forgot to put his match shirt on. Once he remembered it, however, it was down to business. 

Within moments of arriving, he combined with the electric Mostovoy in a scintillating counter-attack to set up the young forward for a stunning hattrick finish, only for it to be ruled out for offside. Dzyuba was rewarded five minutes from time as he stooped to head home a deep cross. 

The draw for the quarter-finals will take place on Friday 4 March.