As if carrying almost no hope ahead of tonight’s Zenit vs Twente match was not painful enough, goalkeeper Malafeev has been hit with the news of his wife’s tragic death on Thursday.
The mother of two, Marina Malafeev, is said to have died in a car accident. News source Ria Novosti explained that the late woman – who was a music producer for Russian rock group M-16, was actually driving home with Dmitry Rybakov (M-16’s lead singer).
But an unfortunate incident happened as her car hit a snow bank. The vehicle then flew about 150 metres, collided through a billboard, and smashed itself against a tree before landing on the wrong side.
The accident happened at St. Petersburg’s Primorskoye highway, according to a Zenit spokesman.
Remarkably, Dmitry Rybakov didn’t die. However, the singer has been left severely injured. Rybakov is currently receiving intensive treatment in a hospital in St. Petersburg.
Goalkeeper Yury Zhevnov is now expected to replace Malafeev as Zenti St Petersburg have a 3-0 deficit to overturn against FC Twente. Vyacheslav Malafeev, meanwhile, immediately quit his team’s camp in the Netherlands at the news of his wife’s death.
The 32-year-old will be offered some sympathy from his team mates who have vowed to wear mourning bands throughout the game.
But an unfortunate incident happened as her car hit a snow bank. The vehicle then flew about 150 metres, collided through a billboard, and smashed itself against a tree before landing on the wrong side.
The accident happened at St. Petersburg’s Primorskoye highway, according to a Zenit spokesman.
Remarkably, Dmitry Rybakov didn’t die. However, the singer has been left severely injured. Rybakov is currently receiving intensive treatment in a hospital in St. Petersburg.
Goalkeeper Yury Zhevnov is now expected to replace Malafeev as Zenti St Petersburg have a 3-0 deficit to overturn against FC Twente. Vyacheslav Malafeev, meanwhile, immediately quit his team’s camp in the Netherlands at the news of his wife’s death.
The 32-year-old will be offered some sympathy from his team mates who have vowed to wear mourning bands throughout the game.