Zenit's comeback and the Moscow monsters: the series with Dynamo is already living up to the status of a final.

      In the first match of the final, "Dynamo" defeated "Zenit-Kazan" - 3:2

      "They are guys like we jokingly call them, monsters"

      The semifinal battle between "Zenit-Kazan" and "Lokomotiv" was simply amazing in terms of emotions. Five matches and a victory earned by the character of the Tatarstan team in their home arena. In the fight for gold, "Zenit-Kazan" faces Moscow's "Dynamo". The capital team confidently dealt with St. Petersburg's "Zenit", allowing Vladimir Alekno's charges to emerge victorious only once in the confrontation. The "Dynamo" team has enough experienced, skilled players capable of opposing such a strong club as "Zenit-Kazan". Therefore, any underestimation of the opponent could be fraught for the Tatarstan volleyball players. "They are guys like we jokingly call them, monsters," said "Zenit-Kazan" captain Artem Volvich about "Dynamo".

      "Dynamo" stunned "Zenit-Kazan" in the first half of the match

      And you can't call the Muscovites anything but monsters. It's hard to remember the last time "Zenit-Kazan" so easily gave away the first two sets. In the opening set, the hosts' block was ineffective, the attack often went out, and the overall impression of "Zenit's" game left much to be desired. The guests, on the contrary, caught a wave of enthusiasm at the start of the match and maintained it throughout the set. Maxim Sapozhkov stood out brightly during this segment for "Dynamo". The giant diagonal player from the capital ensured a difference for his team with his serves and was not shy in attack.

      The second set was essentially a continuation of the first. Sapozhkov continued to cause enormous difficulties for "Zenit-Kazan" with his serves. Alexey Verbov had to call timeouts repeatedly to calm his players. Overall, it felt like "Zenit-Kazan" had not yet recovered from the semifinal against "Lokomotiv". In the regular championship, the Kazan team had no problems with the Muscovites, but during the playoffs, "Dynamo" significantly improved. And the fact that at one point the Muscovites seized the initiative and began to catch the Kazan team off guard should not be surprising.

      Verbov found a "motivation" for "Zenit-Kazan" to make a comeback

      In the first half of the match, neither Maxim Mikhaylov nor Konstantin Abayev were playing well. The appearance of Mikhail Vyshnikov and Dražen Luburić on the court was probably not part of Verbov's initial plans. However, the coach of "Zenit-Kazan" can be understood. In response to what was happening in the match, he tried to energize his volleyball players. Blocker Alexey Kononov told "TI-Sport" that the head coach of "Zenit-Kazan" always has certain "motivations" in reserve. Verbov is a subtle psychologist who knows how to pull the right levers to make players perform at their best.

      And, it must be said, the subsequent comeback of "Zenit" in the third and fourth sets was impressive. The third set was completely devoid of intrigue, with "Zenit-Kazan" winning it 25:14. However, the finale of the fourth set was nerve-wracking. The hosts were trailing 20:23 and seemed to be preparing for the second match. However, the powerful serves of Roman Romanovsky did not disappoint. The blocker almost single-handedly managed to pull out the fourth set for Kazan.

      "Dynamo" won deservedly

      By all the laws of drama, "Zenit" was obliged to finish the match in its favor. And they were very close to doing so at 11:10. But "Dynamo" found a joker in the form of Konstantin Tyushkevich. An ace serve from Volkov, followed by a frustrating miss from Volvich out of bounds, predetermined the victory for the Muscovites. The next match between the teams will take place at the Volleyball Center on April 23. It is clear that tomorrow the Kazan team will come out on the court even angrier. "Dynamo" won deservedly and probably could have won a bit earlier. They played better, and we need to draw conclusions and analyze. We felt physically fine, emotionally too. But I felt it in myself and saw it in the guys – we need to completely adjust to a different rhythm of play, to different attackers after "Lokomotiv". We played for a long time against one opponent and did not adapt to this. We will try to do everything better from the first ball in the next match," summarized Alexey Verbov.

      Photo: zenit-kazan.com

      More news about the event:

      Alexey Verbov: "Dynamo" won deservedly

      The head coach of "Zenit-Kazan", Alexey Verbov, summed up the match after the first meeting with "Dynamo". 08:56 22.04.2026 IA Tatar-inform - Kazan

      The comeback of "Zenit" and the Moscow monsters: the series with "Dynamo" already justifies the status of the final

      In the first match of the final, "Dynamo" defeated "Zenit-Kazan" - 3:2

      "They are guys like we jokingly call them, monsters"

      The semifinal battle between "Zenit-Kazan" and "Lokomotiv" was simply amazing in terms of emotions. 08:25 22.04.2026 IA Tatar-inform - Kazan

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      Volleyball Championship of the region: "Nika" wins and loses

      Volleyball players of the sports school "Nika" played 2 games in the Rostov region volleyball championship among men's teams (first division). 17:07 20.04.2026 Krasnosulinsky Vestnik Newspaper - Krasny Sulin