Former FIFA referee Sergei Lapochkin has asserted that Zenit St. Petersburg’s second goal in their 2-1 comeback victory over Sochi in the 29th round of the Russian Premier League was scored without any infringement.
In the 84th minute, with the score level, Zenit took a corner kick. Sochi goalkeeper Alexander Degtev rushed off his line to claim the ball but failed to reach it and fell to the ground. Zenit defender Nino was positioned near the goalkeeper at the time, and substitute Alexander Erokhin slotted the ball into an empty net to seal the win.
“There was no foul whatsoever,” Lapochkin said on the MATCH PREMIER program “8-16.” “At the moment of the cross, Nino was simply standing there, doing nothing. Players have every right to stand in the goal area. He didn’t extend his arms, didn’t push, and didn’t break any rules. The goalkeeper failed to play the ball himself—it went past him. This is a completely legitimate goal.”
Zenit now sit top of the table with 65 points from 29 matches, two points ahead of Krasnodar. In the final round, Sergei Semak’s side will travel to face Rostov, needing at least a draw to secure the league title.