Artur Gharibyan scores twice and is named best player in Zenit vs Rodina

Armenia U21 forward Artur Gharibyan was the hero of the Russian Premier League Matchday 3 clash between Zenit St. Petersburg and Moscow-based Rodina. Coming off the bench in the second half, the striker scored twice to secure a historic 2-1 victory for his team.

Rodina were trailing 1-0 when Garibyan entered the pitch. Maksim Glushenkov had put the hosts ahead in the 23rd minute, but the course of the game changed after the break.

Garibyan equalised in the 59th minute, scoring the first Russian Premier League goal of his career. Just six minutes later, Artur found the net again to complete his brace. The Armenian forward’s second goal proved to be the match-winner.

Following the final whistle, Gharibyan was named the WINLINE Player of the Match by the MATCH PREMIER expert.

The two goals were the 21-year-old forward’s first in the Russian Premier League. He has now scored four goals for his home club Rodina across all competitions.

Garibyan is also enjoying an impressive run of form, having contributed to a goal in four consecutive matches. He scored in the final round of the First League, forced an own goal with his shot in the second round of the RPL, found the net in the Russian Cup and has now added a brace against Zenit in Matchday 3.

The victory in St. Petersburg was Rodina’s first-ever win in the Russian Premier League and also earned the Moscow club its first points in the competition.

In Matchday 4 of the RPL, Rodina will face Akron in Khimki on August 15, while Zenit will host Dynamo Moscow on August 16.