Pogrebnyak and Toni pick up prize
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
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Unable to participate in FC Zenit St. Petersburg's UEFA Cup final triumph, Pavel Pogrebnyak could take comfort from finishing as the tournament's joint-leading scorer.
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Although unable to take part in FC Zenit St. Petersburg's UEFA Cup final triumph against Rangers FC through suspension, Pavel Pogrebnyak could at least take comfort from being the competition's ten-goal joint-leading scorer alongside FC Bayern München's Luca Toni.
Costly caution
Pogrebnyak had been on target twice against Bayern at the Petrovsky Stadium in the semi-final second leg to join Toni at the top of the chart, but his joy turned to disappointment when he was booked three minutes after scoring his second in Zenit's 4-0 win. While Toni had registered six by the end of the group stage – and was always a contender to finish among the hot shots – Pogrebnyak came from nowhere, having managed just three strikes as Zenit finished third in Group A. However, a run of seven goals in eight games from the Round of 32 onwards raised Pogrebnyak's profile, including another two-goal haul which accounted for Olympique de Marseille in the Round of 16.
Past winners
The pair's tally of ten apiece, if not the highest in the tournament's history, has been surpassed by just four players. Jürgen Klinsmann's 15 goals during Bayern's 1995/96 success remains the benchmark; John Wark (14), Derlei (12) and last season's winner, Walter Pandiani (12), complete the list of the UEFA Cup's most prolific. Only strikes from the first round onwards count towards the totals.
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