ZENIT ST PETERSBURG completed one of the most amazing comebacks in European football by overturning a 4-0 deficit to win 8-1 - but nobody was there to see it! Supporters went mad on boats outside the ground as the Russian side played Dinamo Minsk behind closed doors after fans were done for racism back in June. 4 Zenit fans celebrated their amazing comeback on boats outside their ground Credit: AP:Associated Press What's more, Zenit completed the turnaround - the biggest Europa League comeback in 33 years - with just ten men on the pitch. Leandro Paredes was sent off with 18 minutes of normal time left. But earlier Russia's World Cup hero Artem Dzyuba scored twice to level the scores 4-4 on aggregate and take it to extra-time. It looked all over when Minsk star Seidu Yahaya grabbed an away goal nine minutes into extra-time. 4 Stars of the Russian side celebrate their historic comeback at the end of extra-time Credit: EPA 4 The Petrovsky Stadium was full of empty seats for the game Credit: Getty - Contributor But Argentine forward Sebastian Driussi gave the hosts hope with 11 minutes to go, completing his hat-trick on the night. Robert Mak's penalty then made it 7-1 on the night - and Dinamo's Maksim Shvetsov was sent off for giving away the spot kick. With 123 minutes on the clock Mak bagged another to make it 8-5 on aggregate and 8-1 on the night. Paredes scored the first of the night in the 22nd minute and Christian Noboa made it 2-0 in the 66th minute. 4 Christian Noboa celebrates scoring with team-mate Daler Kuzyayev Credit: Getty - Contributor The last time a team overturned a four-goal deficit was in 1985 when Real Madrid came back from 5-1 down to beat Borussia Monchengladbach. That levelled the scores and Los Blancos won the last-16 tie on away goals. Zenit will now face Molde, managed by ex-Manchester United star Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the play-off round.<doc-sep>Ten-man Zenit St Petersburg pulled off a remarkable comeback to advance following a staggering 8-5 aggregate victory over Dinamo Minsk. The Russian side trailed 4-0 after the first leg in Belarus, but they somehow forced extra-time after goals from Leandro Paredes, Christian Noboa and a double from Artem Dzyuba, despite Paredes seeing red with the scoreline at 2-0. Seidu Yahaya nudged Minsk ahead on aggregate in the first half of extra-time, but four goals in the final 11 minutes earned Zenit an extraordinary result, with Maksim Shvetsov dismissed late on for the visitors. Five-time winners Sevilla eased through to the next round with a 5-0 win at Zalgiris, but Feyenoord were dumped out by Slovakian side AS Trencin after a 1-1 second-leg draw could not overturn their 4-0 deficit. Irish side Cork City were beaten 3-0 at Rosenborg, going out 5-0 on aggregate, Basel won 1-0 on the night and 2-0 on aggregate against Vitesse, who had Chelsea loanee Jake Clarke-Salter sent off early on, and Bordeaux beat Mariupol 5-2 on aggregate after winning 2-1 on Thursday night.<doc-sep>Manchester United chief scout Javier Ribalta has left the club to join Zenit Saint Petersburg just 13 months after arriving at Old Trafford. Ribalta, formerly head scout for Juventus, has agreed a deal to become Zenit's new sporting director until 2021. During his five years with Juventus, Ribalta took a leading role in the signings of Paul Pogba, Paulo Dybala, Kingsley Coman, Dani Alves and Alvaro Morata. In a statement on the Russian club's website, Ribalta said: "The Sporting Director has a lot of responsibilities, such as searching for new players, overseeing the work of the academy and getting the reserves in order. "We will keep looking for players who can strengthen Zenit, but I want to give special attention to the club's academy. I am very happy that I have become part of such a club. "I have seen the victorious photos that adorn the Zenit offices and I want the club to be able to feel these emotions once again." United boss Jose Mourinho has not hidden his frustration at the lack of transfer activity at Old Trafford this summer. The former Chelsea boss has said he wants two new signings, but will settle for one following the acquisitions of Fred, Diogo Dalot and Lee Grant.<doc-sep>
Zenit St Petersburg pull off greatest Europa League comeback for 33 years Zenit St Petersburg 8 (EIGHT) -1 Dinamo Minsk AET It's a scoreline that required brackets. Very rarely does a match see eight goals, even more rarely are eight goals scored by one team in a single game. Even more rarely than that does a team come back from 4-0 down to win 8-5 on aggregate over two legs. To be precise, it's the first time such a comeback has occurred in 33 years. The last time such a feat was achieved, it was 1985, when Real Madrid came back from 5-1 down against Borussia Mönchengladbach to level the scores in the second leg and advance from their last-16 tie on away goals. But tonight, it was Zenit St Petersburg who defied the odds. After losing the first leg of their Europa League qualifier to Dinamo Minsk 4-0, they has a mountain to climb. The height of Artem Dzyuba helped them climb that mountain, as the Russia international scored a hat-trick. Holding midfielder Leandro Paredes opened the scoring after 22 minutes but was sent off in the 72nd minute at 2-0 and Zenit looked to be crashing out. But two late goals from Dzyuba took the tie to extra time. In the additional half an hour, Minsk seized the opportunity to tip the tie in their favour with a goal in the 99th minute but that sparked a barrage of attacks from Zenit, who went on to score four goals, putting the tie to bed.