Historic victory for a newcomer to the RPL! The change of coach did not help Fakel. Video
Kirill Zakatchenko August 15, 2024, 20:10 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Akron won the Russian Cup in the RPL for the first time, and the match was played without fans.
The first match of the new round of the Fonbet Russian Cup took place in Voronezh. Unfortunately, it took place in unusual conditions.
Fakel and Akron took to the field of the Voronezh stadium for the second time in three weeks. At the end of July, the guests spoiled the holiday of their opponent, who played for the first time on the new stadium with artificial turf. Fakel striker Evgeniy Markov left the team with ten men, after which they failed to cope with Akron with a score of 0:2. This time the rivals took to the field in completely different circumstances.
Firstly, Fakel changed its head coach shortly before the match: Igor Cherevchenko left, and Dmitry Pyatibratov took his place. By the way, he already worked in this position from 2022 to 2023. Secondly, the cup match was played in front of empty stands. The reason for this is the ban on holding mass events in the Voronezh region. A colossal blow for Fakel, who always enjoyed great support from the fans at home matches. The RPL match against Spartak was moved to Moscow, but the cup match did not have time.
Cherevchenko worked in Fakel for 108 days:
The first resignation of the RPL season. They were waiting for him at a completely different club.
The start of the meeting in Voronezh is simply fiery! Only 11 minutes passed and the teams got upset once. Markov scored first. The same Fakel player who let the team down in the match against Akron in the championship. This time Evgeniy opened well to Thabo Sele’s pass and calmly beat the goalkeeper. The first goal of the Voronezh Club at the new stadium. Is this how the arrival of a new coach strengthened “Fakel”?
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If I was encouraged, it didn’t last long. Six minutes – that’s how long it took Akron to recover. Benchimol crossed to the far post and 17-year-old Arseniy Dmitriev found himself completely alone (thanks to Fakel’s defense). The long-haired footballer perfectly understood the episode and seized his chance. Congratulations to the kid on his first goal for Akron’s main team!
Video rights belong to RFU and National Sports Channel LLC.
A few minutes later, “Fakel” sent the ball into the visitors’ goal again. The home team celebrated the goal, but at that moment the video assistant referee switched on. They saw that Vladislav Masterny was offside (he was the one who delivered the final blow) and referee Ranel Ziyakov announced in front of the entire empty stadium that the goal had been disallowed. We watched the episode for three and a half minutes, although the offside became obvious already in the first replay.
“Fakel” lost again to “Akron”
Photo by: Akron
The teams got off to a great start, but the crowd didn’t see any more goals before the break. Fakel had the ball for 62% of the game time and the opponents had a total of 16 shots (11 on target). Both could have scored. Benshimol failed to beat Fakel’s goalkeeper Vitaly Gudiev, and Vladimir Hubulov not only beat the goalkeeper, but also the goal. The home team, in turn, created another chance for Markov, but the striker’s shot was saved by Alexander Vasyutin.
After the break, the referee again ruled in Akron’s favour after the intervention of the VAR. Ziyakov pointed to the 11-metre mark and awarded a foul on Max Dziov. Maxim Palienko, who approached the ball, confidently converted the attempt, but Gudiev failed to guess the direction of the shot. The home team had about 25 minutes to save the result.
Video rights belong to RFU and National Sports Channel LLC.
But “Fakel” never recovered. So far, the change of coach has not helped the Voronezh club. And for Akron, Voronezh is becoming a happy city. Two games this season, two victories. It was in Voronezh that Akron achieved its first victory in the Premier League and there it won its first Russian Cup in the RPL.
How were yesterday’s Russian Cup matches?
