Zenit ride the Russian zeitgeist

Disbelief predominated after FC Zenit St. Petersburg sealed their UEFA Cup final place but Russian clubs are rapidly growing out of their old inferiority complex.

Decimated side
As fans drifted into the bars and cafes of the former Leningrad after a 4-0 win against FC Bayern München saw Dick Advocaat's side set up a UEFA Cup final meeting with Rangers FC at the City of Manchester Stadium on 14 May, many struggled to deal with the magnitude of Zenit's achievement. This, after all, was a Zenit side who started the game without five of their top players.

Superb achievement
However, the confident manner in which they set about the UEFA Cup favourites, even without talismanic striker Andrei Arshavin – suspended for the second leg of the semi but available for the final – was testament to the swathe Zenit have cut through Europe. After all, such European stalwarts as Villarreal CF, Olympique de Marseille and Bayer 04 Leverkusen also fell by the wayside in previous rounds.

Inferiority complex
In the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union, such joie de vivre was rare among Russian clubs. With a certain inferiority complex developing among Russian players and fans, any significant European victories were greeted with amazement, while an over-reliance on foreign talent at certain clubs said much for a lack of belief in the potential of Russian-born players.

Russian first
Recent years have seen great changes in Russia, with the nation on an upward curve in economic terms as well as footballing ones. Zenit have recorded a notable success in reaching the UEFA Cup final, but such an achievement has not seemed impossible since PFC CSKA Moskva won the same competition in 2004/05, becoming the first Russian side to win a major European club title.

Fans' banner
A group of Zenit fans attending the game against Bayern at the Petrovsky Stadium referred to a popular Soviet holiday, Victory Day on 9 May, in a banner they held up at the match, reading: "We don't want to wait until 9 May, Victory Day should be today." Not subtle, but a fair measure of the confidence fans had in Dick Advocaat's team in the run-up to the big game.

Exciting summer
With Moscow hosting the UEFA Champions League final on 21 May, Russian fans certainly feel that they are at the heart of European football now, and Zenit's success has added to the general sense of progress among supporters of all the nation's club sides. With Guus Hiddink also taking Russia to UEFA EURO 2008™ in June, Russian fans have no shortage of big events to look forward to.

Competitive league
There is also plenty of intriguing action at home with FC Rubin Kazan showing how competitive the Premier-Liga is by pushing all the traditional giants to one side and topping the table after seven wins from their first seven games of the season. The top Russian clubs may be able to compete at the highest levels, but there is no shortage of sides back home ready to steal their thunder.

Positive omens
With such positive omens everywhere, perhaps this year is the year for the national team to break another bad run, having not progressed beyond the group stage of a senior international tournament since the collapse of the Soviet Union. As Zenit proved in shredding Bayern's UEFA Cup dream at the Petrovsky Stadium, with a little belief anything is possible.