Zenit St Petersburg saw off Dynamo Sungul 25:23 in a Superliga match on Thursday evening. The hosts kept their perfect start intact, extending their unbeaten run to two games with four points from two outings. Sungul, meanwhile, remain on zero points after a single match ended in a draw.
Zenit have been steady at home, winning their opening fixture at home before moving to away games. They beat Stavropol 27:26 last week and had a comfortable 30:26 win over Zilant before that. The loss to Skra Minsk on their travels was narrow, but they bounced back with a 28:22 victory against Chekhovskiye Medvedi.
Sungul's solitary game so far ended level at 23:23 away to Perm Medvedi. They have not won since their trip to Stavropol in May, though they did edge a 31:28 win there as well. Their recent form has been patchy, with mixed results against sides they would have fancied beating.
And here's the thing — the match itself was tighter than the final score suggests. Twenty-five goals to twenty-three is not a runaway. Dynamo kept it close for long stretches, pushing Zenit to defend properly. By then, the hosts had already built a small cushion and refused to let it slip.
Our prediction before kick-off called for a Zenit win at 59 per cent confidence. That came through, as it often does when the home side has momentum behind them. Zenit had not lost at home this season, and the record held up under pressure.
The result keeps Zenit in second place, two points clear of wherever the next side in the table might be. Sungul sit ninth with a point to make up — not much to go on in a league that has barely started.