Sergey Semak: I wouldn’t blame Howard Webb for our defeat

Zenit St. Petersburg veteran midfielder Sergey Semak commented on his team’s exit from the Champions League after their defeat to Benfica.

«Benfica were better than us, above all, in their movement around the pitch. They looked fresher than us, especially in the first half. After the break they were comfortable sitting back and counterattacking, while we struggled to create chances. We were hoping for a miracle and it didn’t happen, the stronger team won. It was particularly painful to concede just before the break, things could have gone our way had that not happened. Then again, they had plenty of chances late on in the match, so they might have scored later,» the former CSKA Moscow and PSG player conceded, speaking to Radio Zenit.»

«As for Howard Webb’s refereeing, I wouldn’t put the blame for our defeat on him. Admittedly, there were moments when the officials gave the benefit of the doubt to Benfica, there were errors, but they didn’t effect the game overall,» the Russia international added.