Zenit out of UEFA Cup with loss to Udinese

With an ominous start to the year defending UEFA Cup champions Zenit Saint Petersburg were unceremoniously dropped from the tournament after losing to Udinese. After losing the opening leg of the showdown 2-0, Zenit returned to the Petrovsky in need of last two goals but were only able to win 1-0. With the result the Italian side heads forward into the next round and Dick Advocaat will be left wondering the true strength of his club as they were unable to break down a lower-table Serie A side not known for its defending.

Zenit came into the match frustrated from the results of the opening leg where they gave up late marks to Fabio Quagliarella and Antonio Di Natale. Without the services of injured defenders Tomáš Hubočan and Nicolas Lombaerts as well as Roman Shirokov and Aleksandr Anyukov in the sin-bin, Zenit still packed a top-flight punch. While the trophy holders swarmed the pitch in the opening half they went to the break with only Ukraine international Anatoliy Tymoschuk header off a corner eleven minutes before the break. Hunting voraciously for the leveler, Zenit came close but with each effort the final touch only brought remorse. Finally with Zenit committing forward, opportunities were endless for Udinese and they controlled the final third of the match as it ended with a 1-0 victory for Zenit but with little consolation as they fall out of the tournament on aggregate.