Zenit beat Bayern for UEFA Cup final
www.chinaview.cn 2008-05-02 09:08:34   Print

Bayern Munich's Luca Toni reacts during their UEFA Cup semi-final, second-leg soccer match against Zenit St. Petersburg in St. Petersburg, May 1, 2008.

Bayern Munich's Luca Toni reacts during their UEFA Cup semi-final, second-leg soccer match against Zenit St. Petersburg in St. Petersburg, May 1, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
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    MOSCOW, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Zenit St Petersburg crushed favourites Bayern Munich 4-0 on Thursday to set up a UEFA Cup final against coach Dick Advocaat's former club Rangers.

    Rangers, managed by Advocaat from 1998-2002, tied 0-0 at Fiorentina before advancing 4-2 on penalties after their semi-final tie also ended goalless on aggregate.

Bayern Munich's Bastian Schweinsteiger and Miroslav Klose (bottom) react during their UEFA Cup semi-final, second-leg soccer match in St. Petersburg May 1, 2008.

Bayern Munich's Bastian Schweinsteiger and Miroslav Klose (bottom) react during their UEFA Cup semi-final, second-leg soccer match in St. Petersburg May 1, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
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    Zenit will play the May 14 final at the City of Manchester Stadium in England.

    Russia striker Pavel Pogrebnyak, who scored Zenit's first and last goals in the second-leg rout, was booked late in the match and will be suspended.

    "This was my best game of the season and probably one of the best in my entire career," said Pogrebnyak.

    Konstantin Zyrianov and Viktor Fayzulin also netted against Bayern, who were European champions three years in a row in the mid-1970s and added a fourth title in 2001 after lifting the UEFA Cup in 1996.

Bayern Munich's Luca Toni reacts during their UEFA Cup semi-final, second-leg soccer match against Zenit St. Petersburg in St. Petersburg, May 1, 2008.

Bayern Munich's Luca Toni reacts during their UEFA Cup semi-final, second-leg soccer match against Zenit St. Petersburg in St. Petersburg, May 1, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
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    "Bayern are one of the best teams in Europe but tonight we outplayed them technically and tactically," said Advocaat.

    Zenit, in their first European final, will look to emulate fellow Russians CSKA Moscow, who won the UEFA Cup in 2005.

Editor: Song Shutao
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