The 1st round of the RPL passed, and a group of newcomers debuted for the clubs: from Theo Bongonda to Eduardo Queiroz. Let’s see which of the players have already shown themselves, and about whom there is still nothing to say.
Dynamo – Krasnodar
In the first game of the season, the clubs did without new players on the field. Alexander Ektov, who moved from Orenburg, remained in the Krasnodar reserve. Newcomers will appear at both clubs, but so far, all the same faces.
The Dynamo leader seems to be going to Serie A. This is a big plus for Russian football:
Zakharyan’s transfer to Lazio is important for the Russian team. More than it seems
Ural – CSKA
CSKA do without amplification. According to journalist Paco Montes, striker Víctor Dávila will soon join CSKA. The transfer amount is €5 million, but two pupils made their debut in Vladimir Fedotov’s team at once: defender Mikhail Ryadno and midfielder Yaroslav Arbuzov. The first appeared on the field in the 32nd minute, replacing the injured Moisés, the second – at the end of the meeting. Ryadno didn’t have the worst game, but he was hit twice as he tried to dribble. Mikhail has a successful offside trap and three clearances. Yaroslav did not make effective actions in six minutes and did not help CSKA to equalize the score.
Timur Ayupov
Photo: vk.com/fc_ue
But three players made their Ural debut at once: center forward Guilherme Shettine, midfielder Timur Ayupov and left back Kiki. Ayupov came out on base and had a great game. WhoScored gave the midfielder a score of 7.2. In the 21st minute, it was Ayupov who opened the scoring in the match, closing the goal after a corner. Timur also has four shots on goal, three martial arts wins and a 56.5% passing rate. Kiki appeared on the field at the beginning of the second half, and Shettine – in the 63rd minute. Both players did not stand out.
How Ural beat CSKA for the first time since 1995:
In the new RPL season, every match is a sensation! After Dynamo, CSKA failed
Paris NN – Zenit
Nizhny Novgorod seriously updated the composition under the leadership of coach Sergei Yuran. In the first round match with Zenit for Pari NN, six players made their debut at once: defenders Dmitry Zhivoglyadov, Dmitry Tikhiy and Maxim Shnaptsev, midfielders Alexander Troshechkin, Matteo Stamatov and Yaroslav Mikhailov. Before the elimination of Viktor Alexandrov, the defense of Nizhny Novgorod held back the attack of the guests. There were no complaints from anyone. But when Pari NN remained in the minority, the team still conceded twice. Although it is not worth much to blame the defense, however, the champion of Russia opposed them. According to WhoScored, the highest score among the newcomers was Yaroslav Mikhailov and Dmitry Tikhiy (both – 6.0).
With the ball Do Queiroz
Photo: Vyacheslav Evdokimov / FC Zenit
The only newcomer at Zenit is Eduardo Queiroz (Du Queiroz). Previously, the Brazilian also played in the Russian Super Cup with CSKA. But with the Army team, Queiroz went to the base, and with Pari NN he appeared on the field in the 85th minute. The 23-year-old footballer did not have enough time to surprise the public. The Brazilian is still getting used to the club and has not yet reached Wendel’s level.
The main star of the RPL leaves the championship. We study Malcolm’s final statistics at Zenit:
The results of Malcolm’s performance at Zenit in numbers: 9 trophies, 1 Russian passport and 0 Champions League goals
Lokomotiv – Rubin
One of the most unexpected results of the tour. Rubin gave Lokomotiv a serious fight, which equalized only in the 88th minute. One of the main characters is the Kazan striker Mirlind Daku. A Kosovar footballer played for Rubin for the first time in the RPL: he scored a goal and gave an effective pass. Powerful debut. In addition, defender Igor Vuyachich and midfielder Ugochukva Iva also played for the first time in Rashid Rakhimov’s team. Both players had a quality match. Vuyachich, together with his partners, did not let Artyom Dzyuba do anything – the Montenegrin won five horse martial arts. Ugochukwu was excellent at managing Rubin’s play, he scored 68 touches (only Dmitry Kabutov had more than Kazan. Based on the match, it seemed like Ivu was just omnipresent!
Ugochukwu Iva
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, Championship
Loko debuted twice in 84: Vladislav Sarveli and Ilya Samoshnikov entered. Galaktionov hit the spot with the replacement. It was Samoshnikov who became the author of an assist pass to William Isidor, after which the Frenchman scored and equalized the score. Ilya managed to benefit in less than 10 minutes on the field. Productive debut!
Loko and Rubin surprised at the start of the season. But for different reasons:
Loko bounced back in the first game of the season! The debutant of ‘Rubín’ shone and Dziuba was lost
“Akhmat” – “Wings of the Soviets”
The protagonists of the match were the former heroes of the clubs. But even so, we saw a newcomer from both teams. In “Akhmat” in the 90+1 minute, defender Vladislav Volkov entered the field. And the “Wings” at the base appeared forward Yegor Karpitsky. Half passed, after which Igor Osinkin replaced him. The Belarusian striker could not prove himself: in 45 minutes he delivered only one blow. Krylia created tough chances overall, although he did score two great goals. Therefore, there can be no special claims to the beginner.
The leader of the “Wings” scored a great goal. No wonder he is a compatriot of Messi!
He ran into the penalty area and beat three! The masterpiece goal of the “City” pupil in the RPL. Video
Spartak – Orenburg
Spartak is actively working on the transfer market, but so far the club has only taken Theo Bongonda and Jesus Medina. The former CSKA player was still recovering from a minor injury, so he stayed to watch the game from the stands. But Bongonda made his Spartak debut, coming on as a 58th-minute substitute. A Belgian with a Congolese passport provided an assist for Daniil Khlusevich. Bongonda also successfully dribbled three times and made three key passes. And according to WhoScored, only the author of the double Khlusevich (8.8) received a higher score (7.7 for Bongond) for the game. In general, the first impression of Theo was positive.
Theo Bongonda
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, Championship
Orenburg also has several newcomers, but none of them debuted. Leo Goglihidze, Maxim Sidorov, Thomas Muro and Emirjan Gyurlyuk remained on the bench. We look forward to seeing you at the next meetings!
Khlusevich did not score 47 matches for Spartak, then to bring the team victory:
Spartak started the season unrealistically! We lost until the 75th minute, but suddenly Khlusevich saved
Rostov – Fakel
Rostov conducted a quality transfer campaign. The club was replenished by Alexey Ionov, Roman Akbashev, Ilya Vakhania, Evgeny Chernov and Mokhhamad Mohebi. But none of them debuted in the meeting with Fakel. The reason is FIFA’s ban on registering newcomers. It is about the debt with Norrköping for the transfer of Pontus Almqvist.
The footballer moved to Rostov in 2020, and in the spring of 2022 he suspended the contract. According to Metaratings, Norrköping returned the money he transferred to Rostov, since he could not withdraw it. The Rostovites are now looking for documents to lift the ban.
Fedor Kudryashov in the ranks of the “Torch”
Photo: Artyom Gusev, “Championship”
And Torch debuted a whole group of players. The place at the gate was taken by the experienced Alexander Belenov. He saved the Voronezh team multiple times, with a total of five saves to his credit. Had it not been for Belenov, the score could have been higher. Also, for the first time for Fakel, defender Fedor Kudryashov played in the RPL match. The former Spartak and Russian national team player received a cut eyebrow at the start of the game and was replaced at the end of the first half. Fedor did not spoil the game, but it is difficult to single him out. In 45 minutes, he made six clearances, plus a tackle and an interception. Two more debutants appeared on the bench: midfielder Nikita Motspan and former Khimki striker Alexander Dolgov. The Moldovan football player had a great chance at the end, he was able to equalize the score. But he landed on Sergei Pesyakov, being alone in front of the gate. Dolgov finished the game without clear moments.
How Karpin’s team coped with difficulties in the first game of the RPL:
Karpin was framed before the game. But even the weakened Rostov made a great comeback!
Sochi – Baltika
Baltika held the first RPL game in 25 years. Sergei Ignashevich’s team played away from Sochi, but did not achieve a positive result. Baltika strengthened their roster by moving up to the elite division. Several newcomers appeared on the field in a meeting with Sochi. At the base were midfielder Artur Galoyan, as well as defenders Alexander Zhirov and Roberto Fernández. And in the end, former Manchester United striker Angelo Henríquez came on as a replacement. At the beginning of the meeting, the defense of the “Baltika” experienced serious problems. What is it: lack of teamwork or enthusiasm? In 90 minutes, Zhirov made two tackles, three interceptions, and three clearances. He also once caught an opponent offside. Despite the lackluster start, the experience took its toll. Fernández was also active on the left flank, but did not help the attack to score and the defense to keep a clean sheet.
Play “Sochi” and “Baltika”
Photo: vk.com/fcbaltika
Artur Galoyan had a moment in the first half, but after his shot the ball hit the crossbar. The 24-year-old midfielder left the field after an hour of play. Enríquez appeared on the field in the 81st minute, but did not help the club recover. Moreover, three minutes after his release, Sochi scored the second goal.
The hosts made a good debut for defender Vyacheslav Litvinov. The 22-year-old came from Krasnodar and in the first match he performed with a lot of quality, like the entire Sochi defense. But striker Martin Kramaric played even better. He scored the first goal for Sochi already in the sixth minute. The team played a good combination and Kramaric completed it. In the 66th minute, he was replaced by another rookie – Ivan Ignatiev. But the Russian could not repeat the feat of a teammate, leaving the field without goals scored.
Fans of which top RPL are most apprehensive after the first round results?
Round 1 results for the RPL favorites. Zenit, CSKA, Spartak, who has more problems?
