Alenichev scored in the final, and Dzyuba scored nine times
Steve Mitchell / EMPICS via Getty Images
Real Sociedad, the team of the only representative of Russia in the Champions League, Arsen Zakharyan, will play on March 5 in the return match of the 1/8 finals of the Champions League with the French PSG. The game will take place in San Sebastian and will start at 23:00 (Moscow time). Unfortunately, the 20-year-old midfielder will not help the Basques in the upcoming match due to injury. So far, Zakharyan has no goals in the Champions League in his career. His reference point is a whole group of Russian football players who have scored more than five goals in the main European Cup.
We talk about our top scorers in this tournament. The report is taken from the 1992/93 season, when the Champions Cup was transformed into the Champions League, and our clubs began to represent Russia on the international stage.
Artem Dzyuba, 9 goals
The best Russian scorer in the Champions League still continues his career. Former captain of the Russian national team Artem Dzyuba, who now plays for Lokomotiv, scored nine goals in 30 matches and also made six assists.
Dziuba took part in six Champions League competitions. In the first two – as part of Spartak, but for the Moscow team Artem did not excel in the main European Cup. But the first Champions League after moving to Zenit became very successful for the center forward. In the 2015/16 season, the St. Petersburg team won five victories in a row in the group stage and won a quartet with the Spanish Valencia, the French Lyon and the Belgian Ghent. Dziuba hit the opponents’ goal in five out of six rounds. Artem’s debut goal was a goal against Gent in St. Petersburg at the old Petrovsky stadium.
“Dreams Come True, – shared emotions after the match Dzyuba. – Scoring in a Champions League match is cool. True, the goal was not the winning one, Shatov scored the winning one. This is my first goal in the group stage of the Champions League. Great atmosphere, amazing match. The Champions League is a level.”
After that, Dzyuba scored one goal against Lyon at home and scored a double in France. And he finished his performance in the group stage with goals against Valencia in St. Petersburg and against Gent away. Dziuba formed a very strong attacking partnership with the Brazilian Hulk. Zenit reached the 1/8 finals, but in two playoff matches Artem failed to hit the goal of the Portuguese Benfica.
In his next Champions League, the 2019/20 season, Dzyuba scored two goals – against Benfica and Lyon. In the 2020/21 season, the center forward scored a goal against Lazio in Rome. But the last Champions League of the 2021/22 season in Artem’s career was not so successful for him: Dzyuba did not score even once.
Andrey Tikhonov, 8 goals
Before Dziuba, the record among Russians for the most goals in the Champions League was held by Tikhonov, who scored eight goals in 31 matches. Andrei’s achievement is all the more valuable because he played not as a pure forward, but, as a rule, as an attacking flank midfielder.
Tikhonov took part in six Champions League competitions – all as part of Spartak. He made his debut in this tournament in the 1993/94 season, but did not distinguish himself that year. But in the 1994/95 season, Andrei scored goals for Dynamo Kyiv and Bayern on the road. The following year, Spartak, under the leadership of Oleg Romantsev, held the most memorable Champions League in its history. In a group with the English Blackburn, the Polish Legia and the Norwegian Rosenborg, the Muscovites won six wins in six matches. Tikhonov scored against the Norwegians in Moscow. But Spartak was eliminated in the quarterfinals by the French Nantes, having lost several key players during the winter break, which divided the group stage and the playoffs of the tournament. Tikhonov failed to upset Nantes.
In the 1998/99 season, Andrei scored against Italian Inter in the Champions League. And the most productive game for the attacking midfielder was the next draw of the tournament. In the fall of 1999, at the group stage, Tikhonov scored a hat-trick against Willem II in the Netherlands and hit the goal of the French Bordeaux at home. It is interesting that after the Russian’s outstanding performance in the Dutch arena, the top club of the Netherlands, Ajax, tried to buy him. But the transfer did not take place.
“After the hat-trick against Willem, I had an offer from Ajax. I answered that I don’t decide anything, let them deal with the club. “Spartak” refused: “You don’t need to call here anymore.” Well, what can we do, this is how we worked in the 90s. Surely many guys had offers (we played regularly in the Champions League for so many years), but they rarely told us about them. Because no one wanted to let us go. And none of us had agents,” remembered Tikhonov.
In his last Champions League in 2000, Andrei played twice, and did not distinguish himself in those matches.
Alan Dzagoev, 7 goals
Third place in the list of the best Russian scorers in the Champions League is also occupied not by a striker, but by an attacking midfielder – Dzagoev scored seven goals in 37 matches. Alan played for CSKA in eight tournaments.
The most successful in terms of performance was Dzagoev’s debut season 2009/10. The army team that year had a strong team, which, under the leadership of Leonid Slutsky, left the group with the English Manchester United, the German Wolfsburg and the Turkish Besiktas, passed the Spanish Sevilla in the 1/8 finals and only lost to the future in the quarterfinals Champions League winner Italian Inter. Dzagoev scored a goal against each opponent in the group stage.
I especially remember the goal against Manchester United at the Old Trafford stadium in a match that ended in a draw – 3:3. Dzagoev dragged the ball into the penalty area and hit goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar from a fairly tight angle.
“I stop sharply under my right leg and immediately make contact with my inner side under my left leg, and then I hit it as it is,” told Dzagoev about his goal. “There were no other options, I just kicked with my left foot.” I look and see Van der Sar and I think I’ll shoot straight at him. Well, it fell on deaf ears. To be honest, I was shocked how I got there.”
In his next game of the 2011/12 season, Dzagoev hit the Inter goal. Then three consecutive Champions Leagues went without goals for the CSKA midfielder, and in the 2016/17 season Alan scored two goals against the German Bayer and the English Tottenham. A year later, Dzagoev distinguished himself in a match with the Swiss Basel. This was his last goal in the Champions League. The army player took part in the 2018/19 season, but no longer performed any effective actions.
Egor Titov, 6 goals
Several more Russian players scored six goals in the Champions League. Midfielder Titov – in 36 matches for Spartak. Egor took part in six tournament draws.
Titov made his debut in the successful 1995/96 European season for Spartak, but then only entered the field in a home game with Rosenborg. The following year, the midfielder scored his first goals in the Champions League against the Austrian Sturm and the Spanish Real Madrid. Then there was a season without goals in the Champions League, and the best period for Yegor in the main European Cup was the fall of 2000.
In that Champions League, Spartak competed in two group stages, defeating Real Madrid and the English Arsenal at home. At the first stage, Titov scored one goal against the German Bayer and scored a double against the Portuguese Sporting. On the second, Egor scored a goal against Arsenal.
Titov did not score more goals in the Champions League, although he played in two more tournaments, five years apart – in 2001 and 2006.
Dmitry Alenichev, 6 goals
Alenichev went down in history as a Champions League winner with Porto. In May 2004, in the final with Monaco (3:0), the Russian made an assist and scored the third goal for the Portuguese. In total, Dmitry had six goals in 26 matches, he took part in five tournaments.
In the first three, Alenichev played for Spartak. He made his debut back in the 1993/94 season, and the following year he scored his first goal against Bayern in Germany. In the 1995/96 season, the midfielder scored goals for Rosenborg and Blackburn. Then, six years later, Dmitry returned to the Champions League with Porto, but did not distinguish himself in the 2001/02 season.
And in the golden 2003/04 season for the Portuguese, Alenichev scored three goals. At the group stage, the Russian scored two goals against Marseille – one each in France and Portugal. In the playoffs he did not differ until the final, where, coming on as a substitute, he helped Porto defeat Monaco. This was Dmitry’s last match in the Champions League.
“What does a football player feel when he scores a goal in such an important match? At first there was only one thought in my head – they won’t win back three goals, then euphoria… I’m sure that I will dream about this game for a long time,” – said Alenichev about his goal in the final.
Ilya Tsymbalar, 6 goals
Midfielder Ilya Tsymbalar, who passed away in 2013, is remembered by fans as one of the most technical and unconventional players in the history of Russian football. In the Champions League, Ilya scored six goals in 30 matches. Played in five tournaments for Spartak.
In his debut season 1993/94, Tsymbalar scored a double in qualifying against the Latvian Skonto. And the midfielder first distinguished himself in the group tournament in 1995, when Spartak won all six matches against Blackburn, Legia and Rosenborg. Ilya hit the Norwegian gate in Moscow.
But the most successful for Tsymbalar was the Champions League of the 1998/99 season. At the group stage, the midfielder scored a goal against all of Spartak’s opponents – Sturm in Austria, Real Madrid in Moscow and Inter in Italy.
Tsymbalar’s last season in the Champions League was the 1999/00 season; in that draw he failed to hit the opponents’ goal.
Roman Shirokov, 6 goals
The former Zenit midfielder spent four seasons in the Champions League as part of the St. Petersburg team. Shirokov scored six goals in 21 matches. However, he made his debut only in 2008, when he was already 27 years old.
In his first season, 2008/09, Shirokov did not score. The most successful for Roman was the next rally, in which he took part with Zenit. In the 2011/12 season, the St. Petersburg team left the group with Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk and Cypriot APOEL. Shirokov scored a double against the Portuguese and scored one goal against the Ukrainians. It is interesting that after his first goals in the Champions League against Porto, Shirokov confessedthat he was dissatisfied with his own performance:
“I’m not very happy with my game – I could have scored the first hat-trick in my career. How can you be dissatisfied after a double in the Champions League and such a beautiful goal? The goal may be good, but the game is not very good. There is a lot of marriage. Especially in the first half.”
In the playoffs, Zenit met with Benfica and Shirokov scored a double in the first meeting in St. Petersburg. But his goals did not help pass the Portuguese.
The following season, 2012/13, Shirokov scored his last goal in the Champions League against Milan. After that, Roman played again in the 2013/14 season, but finished that season without goals.
Sergei Yuran, 6 goals
Juran is only the second striker on this list. The current head coach of Paris NN has played in 11 Champions League matches since 1992 and scored six goals. In the 1995/96 season, he was one of the main figures in the Spartak team, which won six victories in the group stage. Sergei scored a goal against each of the opponents – Blackburn in England, Legia and Rosenborg in Moscow.
In his second and last season of the 2000/01 season, Yuran played for Sturm. As part of the Austrian team, the striker scored three goals – two against the Turkish Galatasaray and one against the Scottish Rangers.
Meanwhile, even before starting to play for the Russian national team and come to the Russian championship, a native of Lugansk became the top scorer of the Champions Cup. In the 1991/92 season, he scored seven goals in nine matches for Benfica. Five of them were in the qualifying round for the Maltese Hamrun. In addition, Juran scored a double in the group stage against his former club Dynamo Kyiv.