Does Loko really have a weak team? Team Galaktionov is fighting for the top spot!
Anatoly Romanov August 10, 2024, 17:16 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
The Railwaymen have achieved their third victory in four rounds – against Dynamo Makhachkala.
Lokomotiv continues to surprise at the start of the new season. Mikhail Galaktionov’s team has won its third game in four RPL rounds. And the second in a row – “zero.”
The start of the match seemed to go according to plan for Khasanbi Bidzhiev’s team. Dynamo greeted Lokomotiv with a high five and, if the opponent escaped from the pressure, effectively used the tactic of minor fouls. As a result, the match was stuck in the middle of the field for the first 10 minutes. The railwaymen, in turn, controlled the width against the 3-5-2 formation and the full-backs of the Makhachkala team, due to which Samoshnikov dropped deeper. Left winger Pinyaev, striker Vorobyov and Batrakov, who was advancing from the center, pressed above the southern central defenders.
And Lokomotiv scored after the first shot on goal! The hosts’ scoring attack began with a brilliant interception by centre-back Morozov, who replaced the injured Fasson in the starting line-up. Barinov then turned him to the right and skillfully made space for Samoshnikov. Ilya did a great job up front. Samoshnikov moved to the centre and fired a low left-footed shot. The Makhachkala team failed to close the most dangerous area in front of the penalty area and goalkeeper Volk was powerless to do anything.
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With the score at 1:0, the match remained a battle. Lokomotiv was not inferior in single combat, it slowed down Dynamo’s speed, and the RPL newcomer found it difficult to cope with anything else. Samoshnikov surprisingly became the main threat to the Wolf’s goal. After half an hour, another of his attacks and moves to the center behind the wall with Barinov gave Loko a killer moment. Defender Paltsev saved the southerners from the goal. In addition, the railwaymen had a chance to score by Batrakov’s standards. It’s amazing how the young midfielder puts the ball in the right place! Once, a clever and clearly faked corner kick with his pass to Barinov greatly surprised Dynamo’s defense, but Bidzhiev’s team was lucky not to concede the second before the break. Otherwise, Galaktionov would have had to be content with the first half.
In the second half, Lokomotiv, without the substituted Pinyaev (one inaccurate shot, 0 dribbles and passes), suddenly came out somewhat timid. Dynamo improved ball movement and earned a number of corner kicks in the first minutes. After the kick-off, newcomer Tabidze was able to score twice – the Euro 2024 participant hit his head in the center from 10 meters both times. Galaktionov will definitely have complaints about who was responsible for the Georgian legionnaire in those moments or for a specific zone of the set piece. It’s incredible how Tabidze didn’t hit the target. After that, Loko saved the goal with a stunning Karpukas tackle in his own penalty area.
Sad end for Dynamo coach at Lokomotiv:
The Makhachkala coach flew with Semin to Loko’s first trophy. But there was a terrible ending.
However, after going through an unpleasant moment in the second half, Lokomotiv again converted their first shot on goal into a goal. The hosts, unlike the guests, implemented the standard. Another wonderful pass from Batrakov! The young midfielder sent the ball to where Morozov should have been. The centre-back won the fight ahead of Tabidze, who was unlucky that day, and scored accurately with a header.
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Dynamo had no choice but to open up as much as possible in positional attacks, and Galaktionov’s fast team gained space for counterattacks. The southerners’ mission with the score at 0:2 was almost impossible. However, there would have been a chance if referee Kukulyak had awarded a penalty against the home side. Nyamsi appeared to hit Sundukov hard on the leg in the box. However, the referee deemed the contact not to constitute a foul and the VAR assistants supported him.
Lokomotiv did not give the Makhachkala residents any more chances. Galaktionov’s team defended well, which is not always the case. Interestingly, Dynamo outperformed the locals in shots on goal by 4:2, that is, the railwaymen showed 100% success in this regard (the total number of shots was 13:11 in favor of Loko). The newcomer to the RPL lost at least in class.
