Dynamo vs. Zenit-Kazan | HIGHLIGHTS | Gold Match (3rd Game) | SuperLeague 2025-2026

Dynamo Moscow became the champion of the Russian Super League among men's teams of the 2025/26 season. In the golden series, it took them three matches to secure the championship and beat the previous winner of the trophy, who held it for three years, Zenit Kazan.

Dynamo became champions of Russia for the fifth time and returned to the first step of the Super League podium for the first time since 2022. It should be noted that until this season, the Moscow club had never defeated the Kazan team in the final series for the national championship.

Konstantin Bryansky led Dynamo to the title of Russian champion for the third time in his career. Pavel Pankov, Ilya Vlasov, Dmitry Zhuk, Evgeny Baranov, and Anton Semyshev became three-time national champions as part of the Moscow team.

This match began with a nightmare for anyone who was rooting for the Muscovites. In the seventh game of the first set, Dynamo's leader, Denis Bogdan, landed on the leg of his opponent, Maxim Mikhailov, after blocking, and sprained his ankle. After a few unpleasant minutes, close-ups of Bogdan's pain-contorted face on TV, a timeout by Konstantin Bryansky, and a return to the game with a limp and a frown, the playmaker returned to the game.

Pavel Pankov tested one of his most reliable strikers – he ran and spread out. We'll find out later what he felt and how much it hurt him, but in such matches, everyone who can walk plays.

The first set was very even, but Dynamo handled the ball a little more carefully, which gave them an advantage, and they reached the set points first – 24:22. The Kazan players won back the ball, but Pavel Pankov stopped Mikhail Labinsky with a block in the balance game – 27:25.

At the start of the second set, Dinamo took the lead (8:4), but Zenit-Kazan came back into the game on Maxim Mikhailov's serve, not only winning back the lead but also taking it to 10:4.9. Konstantin Bryansky's guys were not fazed by this: Bogdan conducted an aggressive attack, and Mikhailov was stopped by Ilya Vlasov in a duet. In the next rally, Dmitry Volkov was blocked by the blockers – 15:12. The Kazan players fought like lions until the end of the set, but they were unable to catch up. They managed to win only one of the two break points – 23:25.

In the third set, everything was decided before its halfway point, thanks to Anton Semyshev's serves and his three consecutive aces, resulting in a score of 13:7. This was a stunning blow, especially considering the 0:2 score in the sets. It is worth noting that the players of Zenit-Kazan did not give up and fought until the end of the set. However, it was simply impossible for Dynamo to come back from a six-point deficit, given their objective exhaustion and emotional emptiness. The final point was made by Dynamo captain Pavel Pankov, which was very symbolic on all fronts.

Bravo, Dynamo! It was an arduous season, but the team delivered a spectacular playoff performance!

VFV - volley.ru