Russia woke up to a huge party hangover on Thursday after the "power and spirit" of Zenit carried the St. Petersburg club to a UEFA Cup triumph over Rangers in Manchester.

"Russia Is At The Zenith - The Cup Is Ours!" blared the front-page headline on the popular national tabloid daily Tvoi Dyen, echoing the ebullient mood of football fans across a nation covering 11 time zones.

"Zenit Gives Rangers A Black Eye" was the triumphant front page headline splashed across Thursday's editions of Rossiiskaya Gazeta, the official government daily.

The Kremlin was quick to join the celebrations, announcing that President Dmitry Medvedev had sent his personal congratulations to Zenit St. Petersburg for their "outstanding and well-deserved victory".

Not to be upstaged, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin telephoned Zenit manager Dick Advocaat immediately after the final whistle to congratulate the Dutchman and his players for their "illuminating and glorious victory."

"Putin said he considered this win to be a brilliant confirmation of the rise of the country's football and sports in general," Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.

Alexei Miller, the head of energy giant Gazprom, Zenit's main sponsor, vowed the team - and its home town - had more success ahead of it.

"It was a fantastic game!" Miller said. "Last year Saint Petersburg became Russia's football capital. Today it is the football capital of the whole of Europe."

After Zenit capped a dominant display to beat Rangers 2-0, thousands of St. Petersburg residents poured into the city's streets to celebrate.

The exultant fans blocked traffic on the city's main thoroughfare brandishing flags and banners, launching firecrackers and embracing one another.

"I just cannot believe it! We won the cup! It's fantastic! We are the best!" shouted 20-year-old Alexei, who was watching the final at a giant TV screen in the St. Petersburg's ice palace together with 2,000 supporters.

Hundreds of cars, decorated with Zenit colours and symbols, blew their horns as they cruised through the city streets throughout the night.

Local riot police troops were concentrated in the centre of St. Petersburg but their intervention was unnecessary as no serious outbreaks of hooliganism were reported during the celebrations.

Zenit become the second Russian side to win the UEFA Cup, European club football's second tier competition behind the Champions League, after 2005 winners CSKA Moscow.