By Mike Collett

MONACO, Aug 29 (Reuters) – UEFA Cup holders Zenit St Petersburg became the first Russian team to lift the European Super Cup after beating Champions League winners Manchester United 2-1 on Friday.

Goals from Pavel Pogrebnyak and record signing Danny, on his debut, gave Zenit’s Dutch coach Dick Advocaat victory over his old rival Alex Ferguson who was bidding to become the first manager to win the trophy for the third time.

Ferguson might have had a feeling it was not going to be his night when an official almost tripped him up on a rope as he took his seat in the dugout before kickoff at the Stade Louis II.

His mood was not helped by midfielder Paul Scholes’s 90th-minute red card for handball, his second caution.

United’s best moment arrived when defender Nemanja Vidic pulled a goal back 17 minutes from time but Zenit, playing in front of 7,500 of their own fans as well as Chelsea’s billionaire Russian owner Roman Abramovich, held on for victory.

Pogrebnyak, who missed the UEFA Cup final win over Rangers through suspension, put Zenit in front after 44 minutes when he headed home a flick from Igor Denisov after a well-delivered set-piece by Alejandro Dominguez.

Danny, who joined this week in a 30 million euros deal ($44.12 million) from Dynamo Moscow, doubled the lead after a superb solo run 15 minutes later.

He picked the ball up just inside United’s half and finally beat Edwin van der Sar with an unstoppable low shot.

FIT ZENIT

Zenit, looking fitter and sharper having played 19 games in the Russian league compared to United’s two in the Premier League, started with six of the team that won the UEFA Cup in May.

Andrei Arshavin, linked with a move to England, started on the bench before coming on as a halftime substitute to help Zenit control the match for most of the second period.

The Russians had the first chance to score when Pogrebnyak skied his shot before a superb free kick by Dominguez flew narrowly wide.

Danny created most of Zenit’s chances and went close with a header over the bar after 43 minutes.

A minute later Zenit deservedly went ahead.

Apart from a chance Wayne Rooney scuffed, United’s only shot on target in the first half was a harmless 25-metre shot from Carlos Tevez which Vyacheslav Malafeev gathered easily.

With Cristiano Ronaldo still recovering from ankle surgery, United lacked potency in attack.

(Editing by Tony Jimenez)