Tymoshchuk rues missed opportunities

FC Zenit St. Petersburg midfielder Anatoliy Tymoshchuk was left to rue the UEFA Cup holders' missed opportunities after a 2-1 first-leg defeat of VfB Stuttgart on Wednesday which leaves their hopes of retaining the trophy in the balance.

'Good opportunities'
A second-minute strike from new signing Szabolcs Huszti gave Zenit the ideal start in sub-zero temperatures in western Russia only for Mario Gómez to equalise soon after. Though Tymoshchuk restored the hosts' lead with a fierce drive in the dying seconds of the first-half, the Ukrainian international was disappointed Dick Advocaat's men had failed to give themselves more breathing space ahead of next week's second leg. "The main thing is that we won," said Tymoshchuk, who will join FC Bayern München in the summer but misses next week's trip to Germany through suspension after picking up a late booking. "Stuttgart are a household name in Germany with a lot of internationals in their squad. Still, we had a lot of good opportunities to score more goals."

'We'll improve'
Russian international forward Pavel Pogrebnyak spurned two second-half opportunities, though Zenit could have found themselves pegged back but for keeper Vyacheslav Malafeev's save which denied Gómez a late equaliser. Tymoshchuk claimed the state of the pitch and icy chill at the Petrovsky stadium, where temperatures dropped as low as -10°C, had played into Stuttgart's hands. "The weather wasn't a positive factor for us. We have a lot of technically gifted players in our team. We like to play quick football, so the pitch suited our opponents more," said the 29-year-old, who is confident Zenit will improve after playing their first competitive fixture since 10 December. "Our physical condition will get better, each one of us will make progress. It was our first competitive match of the season and it's over. It will now be easier for us to adjust."