Zenit U21 wins in the end and takes revenge on CSKA Junior

The youth team of the blue-whites played a series of home matches against Moscow’s CSKA Junior. The games with the "army team" took place on the Basketball Academy court on March 12 and 13 as part of the VTB United Youth League.

The first match was a tightly contested battle but ended in favor of the visitors. Winning the final quarter with a "+7" advantage, the Moscow team secured a victory with a score of 84:92. The best players for the blue-whites in that game were guard Semen Burinskiy (24 points + 4 assists + 2 steals) and forward Ivan Vasiliev (15 points + 6 rebounds + 1 steal).

The next day, the game followed a different scenario. In the second quarter, CSKA Junior neutralized Saint Petersburg’s offense, launched a successful run, and finished the half with a 24:33 lead. After halftime, Roman Knyazev’s team struggled to close the gap for a long time, but in the final stretch, they managed to equalize the score. Thanks to Burinskiy’s drive in the last seconds, the blue-whites pulled off a dramatic victory and avenged their previous day's defeat — 65:64. The top scorer for Zenit U21 was Alexander Porotnikov, who recorded 17 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block.

Following this home series, Zenit U21 sits in 5th place in the VTB United Youth League standings with 26 wins.

Roman Knyazev, Zenit U21 head coach:

We lost our game quality after a tough road trip. In the first game, we made too many defensive mistakes, allowing the opponent to play on equal terms with us. At the end, a lack of discipline hurt us — we committed unnecessary fouls that helped our rivals secure the win. In the second game, we struggled offensively, but I’m grateful to the guys for finding our rhythm. We defended aggressively in the fourth quarter, pushed the pace, and didn’t allow our opponents to set up their defense. We hit crucial shots.

Alexander Porotnikov, Zenit U21 guard:

In the first game, we didn’t execute our game plan, committed too many fouls, lost possession too often, and failed to protect the paint despite our opponent’s poor three-point shooting. In the second game, we lost the rebounding battle and at some point, stopped attacking effectively. But the key was that in the fourth quarter, we turned the game around and snatched the victory. Everyone did a great job — we’ll keep improving and preparing for our next road trip.

The youth team will play its next games away on March 24 and 25, facing MINSK-M. Both matches will start at 14:00 Saint Petersburg time. The broadcast will be available on the VTB United Youth League website in the team’s schedule.