Chalov is in incredible shape! He made a brace and the finest pass in CSKA’s first game. Video
Anatoly Romanov July 4, 2023, 19:15 Moscow time
The army team defeated Neftekhimik in the control game at the summer training camp.
RPL silver medalist and Russian Cup winner CSKA began pre-season training on June 26 and just eight days later staged the first match of this summer. The army team’s rivals were Neftekhimik, who finished sixth in the First League last season. Let’s remember that Vladimir Fedotov’s team has two matches in the Fraternal Cup with Dynamo (July 8-9), and on the 15th of the redjiazul there is an official match – with Zenit for the Super Cup.
There are no newcomers to CSKA yet, the tactical scheme, apparently, will not change. In a friendly match with Neftekhimik, the army team played according to the usual 3-4-2-1 system. Interestingly, the left flank of the hosts closed Nababkin. It so happened that Fedotov lost almost all the players who usually started on the left. Shchennikov left his home club at the end of last season, Moizes and Oblyakov heal old sores, and Zainutdinov went on vacation later than the rest to play for the Kazakhstan national team. By the way, besides them, in the CSKA application there was no Kuchaev recovering from damage.
In the first minutes of the match it was felt that the Neftekhimik players had a better tone. If for the army team this is the first bout of the summer, then for Kirill Novikov’s team it is the fourth. In the previous three, Neftekhimik scored 10 goals. The guests almost scored an early goal today. Former CSKA striker Bazelyuk surprisingly easily outplayed former club defender Agapov from Nizhnekamsk in the penalty area, simply lobbing the ball past its keeper and striking from a few yards at point-blank range. Here Akinfeev would not have been saved if the blow had turned out normal. The adaptation of the red-blue winter newcomer seems to drag on.
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In the middle of the first half, the strike score was 0:4 in favor of Neftekhimik. Fedotov couldn’t take it, he brought in one of his players, and after that things were better for CSKA. The army team dispersed, at the break they were already leading the blows – 8:5. There was a good fit of the attacking players with each other, the fans finally saw beautiful multi-way combinations. In the 36th minute, the hosts hit the post in an episode (Gaich headed in after a cross) and scored a goal. Former Lokomotiv midfielder Petrov made a mistake under pressure and gave the ball to Ermakov, and then Nababkin provided an assist to Chalov. Fedor played the famous moment: he struck from the left, into the nearest corner. Galatasaray scouts will definitely like it.
Often, at the opening match at the preseason training ground, the coaches evenly distribute the load among all the players – different squads play two halves. But Fedotov changed less than half of the team during the break. The most correct decision is to leave Chalov on the field.
Fedor continued to mock the defenders of Neftekhimik. In the first minute of the second half, the striker, having played well ahead of the curve, scored with one touch. Mukhin helped Chalov to a brace, who drifted the ball into the opponent’s box after CSKA broke through the left flank of the visitors’ defence.
And before leaving the field (Fedotov made a few more substitutions at the end of the hour), Chalov cut in an elegant assist. Thinner, piercing – in Zdelar. The Serbian opornik did what he had not yet been able to do in CSKA’s official matches: he scored a goal that made the rojiazul victory great. Neftekhimik could have returned to the game even with the score 0:2, when the young Lukin presented the ball to the opponent during a goal kick. But Torop, who replaced Akinfeev, made a beautiful save. And this, by the way, was not the goalkeeper’s last stop. Akinfeev’s replacement is progressing.
Despite the presence of a group of very young players on the field, CSKA dominated the second half. Although Neftekhimik also had a couple of moments, for example, when Dzhamilov finished off a Ronaldo-style free kick and hit the crossbar. But it all ended with the defeat of the Novikov team. A wonderful goal was scored by the young Arbuzov. In the rival area, the midfielder worked the ball with his right foot, taking out the defender with a false movement, and finished off accurately from the left. CSKA reached the mark of 20 shots on goal.
By the way, Arbuzov also excelled at previous training camps. It’s time to debut and show yourself in the RPL.
