Champions League: Luciano Spalletti Rues Missed Opportunities After 2-2 Draw

Luciano Spalletti, head coach of Russian outfit Zenit St. Petersburg, admitted in a post-match press conference Wednesday the his team had missed opportunities to score against Shakhtar Donetsk. The presser was published on the Zenit St. Petersburg website.

Spalletti was furious over his side's penalty miss. Spalletti went further and commented that the penalty conversion was "the most obvious" chance his side had to grab a winner, the official site reported.

The next match between the two clubs will be held in St. Petersburg on Nov. 1.

Spalletti was asked if he believed there were any psychological advantages for Zenit St. Petersburg in the run-up to the early November fixture.

The former Roma boss responded with candidness, referring to each match as a separate entity. Spalletti declared that he will continue to work with the team ahead of that November match.

Zenit St. Petersburg find themselves in second place in Group G after the 2-2 draw, with four points from three matches. The Russians sit behind APOEL and ahead of FC Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk.

In a separate news story involving Wednesday's match, Vyacheslav Malafeev, the Zenit keeper, paid tribute to Olexandr Rybka, his opposite number for Donetsk—as reported by UEFA.

Malafeev expressed dismay that Zenit did not win the match, but recognized that Rybka's heroics—particularly concerning the penalty—were instrumental in maintaining the draw. Malafeev expressed hope that Zenit can improve themselves for the next match.

It remains to be seen what will happen when Zenit and Shakhtar face each other in a fortnight.