ARTEM DZYUBA was taunted by fans as he played for the first time since a video allegedly showing him masturbating was leaked online.
The 32-year-old has been dropped from Russia’s squad after footage of a man, believed to be of him, pleasuring himself in bed went viral.
The Russia forward scored in the second half after missing a penaltyCredit: Getty Images – Getty
He kept his spot in Zenit Saint Petersburg’s starting line-up for Sunday’s game against Krasnador.
But he was stripped of the captaincy and ex-Liverpool star Dejan Lovren had the armband.
Zenit found themselves chasing the game after Marcus Berg scored for the visitors in the 16th minute.
Dzyuba had the chance to redeem his reputation before half-time as his team won a penalty.
But things went from bad to worse for the 32-year-old as he missed from the spot.
Fans taunted him throughout the match with explicit chants relating to the viral video.
He hit back in the second half as he scored to make it 2-1 after Daler Kuzyayev’s equaliser.
Dzyuba blew kisses to the crowd as he celebrated before he charged over to the Zenit bench.
Video footage of a man, believed to be the striker, went viral on SaturdayCredit: Twitter
Zenit went on to win the game 3-1 after Aleksei Sutormin scored in stoppage time.
Internet sensation Dzyuba did not appear to salute the fans after the game before he vowed to give his Man of the Match award to Sutormin.
After the game, the striker shared a video message with his followers on Instagram.
He said that fate had taught him a ‘harsh leson’ but that he ‘had himself to blame’.
Dzyuba will now have some time off as Russia will play their upcoming games without him.
International manager Stanislav Cherchesov confirmed he will miss games against Moldolva, Turkey and Serbia.
Dzyuba became a national treasure at the 2018 World Cup when he scored three times to help his team reach the quarterfinals.
He was handed the captain’s armband after the tournament by manager Stanislav Cherchesov.
Artem Dzyuba celebrated wildly with his team-mates after he scoredCredit: Getty Images – Getty
But it’s not the first time that the former Spartak Moscow star has hit the headlines for the wrong reasons.
He caused a stir when he was filmed simulating sex with team-mate Sardar Azmoun after a match.
Wearing only his pants, he grabbed Azmoun around the neck and appeared to thrust him from behind.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
