Zenit vs Gimnasia L.P.

Zenit started brightly and deservedly took the lead in the 20th minute. Aleksandr Sobolev, the centre-forward who joined from Spartak Moscow last summer, finished calmly to put the home side ahead after a period of sustained pressure.

Gimnasia, playing their first international friendly of pre-season under new manager — and their first on European soil in several years — grew into the contest. The Argentine side equalised in the 39th minute through Honduran striker Agustín Auzmendi, who turned home from close range to make it 1-1.

The score remained level at the break, and both managers used the second half to rotate heavily. Zenit made 11 changes across the second period, with only goalkeeper Denis Adamov completing the full 90 minutes among a handful of senior players given extended minutes.

Auzmendi's 39th-minute equaliser arrived at a crucial juncture. Zenit had been the better side up to that point, with Sobolev's goal reflecting their territorial dominance. Gimnasia's first sustained spell of possession ended with the equaliser, and the match settled into an even contest from that moment on.

• Aleksandr Sobolev (Zenit) — Took his goal well in the 20th minute and led the line effectively before being substituted at half-time as part of Semak's planned rotation.
• Agustín Auzmendi (Gimnasia L.P.) — The Honduran striker scored the equaliser with a poacher's finish, his second goal in pre-season. He was a constant physical presence during his 60 minutes on the pitch.
• Roman Vega (Zenit) — The Argentine defender, who joined Zenit from Boca Juniors, played the second half against his compatriots and exchanged shirts with several Gimnasia players after the final whistle. "It's great that Argentinian teams are coming to play against Russia's best club," Vega told the club's official website.

The 1-1 scoreline reflected a game of two distinct halves. Zenit's first-choice XI dominated possession and created the better chances in the opening 45 minutes, with Sobolev's goal a fair reward. The mass half-time changes disrupted Zenit's rhythm — Gimnasia grew into the game after the break without creating clear-cut chances of their own. The 20,931 attendance for a pre-season friendly underlines the appetite for international matchups at the Gazprom Arena.

For Zenit, this was a useful fitness workout against a capable opponent. Semak's side continue their pre-season schedule with matches against Neftchi FK (8 July), Crvena Zvezda (12 July), and Dynamo Makhachkala (13 July) before the Russian Super Cup on 18 July. Semak acknowledged post-match that his players are managing fatigue from training camp: "The players get tired, and that's expected. It's good that there were no injuries and everyone got a pretty good workout."

For Gimnasia, the draw represents a creditable result against a side that has won the last six Russian Premier League titles. The Argentine club continue their pre-season preparations ahead of the Torneo Clausura 2026 in Argentina.

A competitive pre-season friendly that served its purpose for both sides. Zenit's first-half superiority suggested they would have won had Semak fielded his strongest XI for longer, but Gimnasia's resilience and Auzmendi's sharp finish demonstrated why the Argentine side were worthy opponents. The real value for both managers was the minutes and the intensity.