Lokomotiv vs. Zenit-Kazan | FINAL | HIGHLIGHTS | SuperCup 2025

Kazan started the match splendidly – 7:1 on Roman Romanovsky's serve. Lokomotiv returned to the game, setting up a catch through Omar Kurbanov and Ilya Kazachenkov (6:11), and then equalized the score in one set on Simeon Nikolov's serve – 11:11. Zenit Kazan, after a moment's thought, adjusted the settings of the block and still stopped the raging Kurbanov and Kazachenkov – 16:13, and forced Plamen Konstantinov to take a second break. Novosibirsk's diagonal player's attack, followed by an excellent serve, brought the score back to 17:17. The Kazan team patiently waited for their moment, and Mikhail Labinsky's serve proved to be fatal for Lokomotiv. Two blocks from Romanovsky and Abaev, a mistake by Kazachenkov, an ace, and the game was won by Alexey Verbo's team, 24:18. In the second set, the game was played on the counter-course for a long time, with a minimal advantage for the Kazan team (11:9). As the game approached the halfway point, the Kazan team increased their pace, putting maximum effort into their serve, and when Maxim Mikhailov recorded an ace, Lokomotiv took a timeout at -4, resulting in a score of 12:16. Zenit-Kazan played the final set perfectly, allowing their opponents to score only five points after the break. The current holders of the trophy ended the match with a triple block of the railwaymen's pips, 25:17. In the third set, Timofey Benkovich remained on the court, having replaced Alexander Markin in the previous set. Lokomotiv continued to try to hold on to the lead at the beginning of the game, but the Kazan team appeared much more cohesive, organized, and composed. Alexey Verboff's team, which had lost its focus after the 2-0 victory in the semifinal match the day before, did not allow themselves to make the same mistake on this occasion. Dmitry Volkov and Maxim Mikhailov once again demonstrated their exceptional skills, and everyone already knows how good these two players are. On the evening of December 26, they were marvelously good, perhaps against the backdrop of Lokomotiv, which was tired of trying to find the keys to Kazan's locks. The railway workers made another attempt to catch up in the middle of the set, reducing the gap to a minimum on Kazachenkov's serve - 13:14. After Alexey Verbov's break, Labinsky took off and, in the next play, vengefully blocked Kazachenkov - 16:13. The young Mikhail Vishnyakov had a great series of innings and Verbov even took a break for him when there was nothing left of Kazan's advantage again – 18:17. The ending came out nervous: Lokomotiv won it on Kazachenkov's innings, who not only scored 20:23, but also worked in defense, giving a chance for break-up games. The final point was set by Egor Feoktistov, who replaced Benkovich – 25:23. Kazachenkov and Mikhailov engaged in a beautiful shootout. The fourth set, which was very even in terms of competition and had a high level of emotion, ended in favor of Zenit-Kazan. After the halfway point of the game, they parted ways with equal scores on the scoreboard (18:15), and maintained the difference until the end of the match. All of Lokomotiv's attempts to recover were unsuccessful. VFV - http://www.volley.ru/