St. Petersburg’s Zenit secured a 2-1 victory over Sochi in Matchday 29 of the Russian Premier League (RPL), propelling them to the top of the standings.
The match, held in St. Petersburg, saw Luis Henrique open the scoring for Zenit in the 59th minute, followed by Alexander Erokhin’s decisive goal in the 84th. Sochi had taken the lead earlier through Zakhar Fedorov’s strike in the 31st minute. Notably, Zenit’s Henrique missed a penalty in the 13th minute.
With this win, Zenit set a new club record for penalties awarded in a single RPL season, reaching 13. This is the second-highest tally in league history, trailing only Rostov’s 15. However, Zenit also matched their own record for missed penalties, having failed to convert five of their 13 spot-kicks this campaign, equaling their misfortunes from the 2020/21 season.
Zenit now sits atop the table with 65 points, while Krasnodar trails in second place with 63 points and a game in hand. Sochi remains in the relegation zone, occupying the 16th and last spot with 21 points. If Makhachkala’s Dynamo avoids defeat against Grozny’s Akhmat later on Sunday, Sochi will be mathematically relegated.
In the final round of the season on May 17, Zenit will travel to face Rostov, while Sochi will host Akhmat at home.