Former Moscow “Spartak” defender Vladimir Granat stated that the sending off of “Zenit” team captain Douglas Santos in the 5th round of the Russian Championship match against “Spartak” (2:2) affected the outcome of the game. This was reported by Euro-football.ru.
According to him, this penalty card changed the course of the game, weakened “Zenit” team's confidence, and forced the players to continue the match despite being a man down against the opponent. In the 51st minute of the match held in Moscow on Saturday, Santos received a second yellow card and left the field.
According to Granat, neither team was satisfied with the draw result. Both teams urgently needed a victory.
Although the score matched the game, it can be said that the game would have unfolded differently if Douglas had not left the field. These thoughts were shared by the “Match TV” publication.
