Karpin’s team’s match in Grozny is a nightmare
Anatoly Romanov December 9, 2023, 18:46 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Now the Rostov coach will not blame everything on time.
Karpin’s team did not score in the last two matches of the 2023 RPL. The match between Akhmat and Rostov ended in a goalless draw.
One of the most talked about players of the last round of the RPL, Berisha, missed the match against Rostov. The Kosovar completed his disqualification today, but he did not leave Russia, but he did get on the podium. The yellow card Bernard received for jumping in front of the Spartak coach was the fourth for the attacking midfielder. Without Berisha, Miroslav Romaschenko’s team lacked speed when developing counterattacks. The hosts played mainly as number two, while the Rostovites had the ball 70% of the time. Attempts by Valery Karpin’s team to draw the opponent towards them did not give results – the Grozny team refused to open up and put pressure on them. Akhmat defended with great strength and in a compact manner, Shvets was the third central defender, and the wingers narrowed their positions and forced the Rostovites to look for free spaces on the flanks.
Football was winter not in terms of weather, but in terms of quality. The pace is not the fastest, there are many simple decisions and flaws. In the first half, Akhmat had a better chance of scoring a goal. Valery Karpin’s team still failed in several counterattacks. Kovachev almost escaped one by one – Vakhania was faster. And Kharin managed to fly one on one with the goalkeeper. But he shot in such a way that Pesyakov, who returned to the starting lineup after a “break” and missed two rounds, made a brilliant save with his foot. In addition, Kovachev charged from the rebound on a set piece and shook the crossbar.
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Rostov did not have a single shot on goal before the break. Rostov center forward Komlichenko only received the ball once in the Grozny area. However, local striker Agalarov, who remains in Akhmat’s team after two consecutive days with goals, did not have any touch in the area. The “cartridges” were poorly delivered to the teams’ snipers.
During the break, Akhmat unexpectedly changed goalkeepers. As the game progressed, it was learned that Shelia entered the game with a fever and at some point felt unwell. Romashchenko was forced to bring goalkeeper Oparin into the fight, who played three games in the RPL this season and conceded five goals. In the first 15 minutes of the second half, almost nothing interesting happened on the field. The only thing I remember is Karpin’s original standard: Mokhebi subtly extended the movement of the ball with his heel towards Mironov, which everyone had missed, the midfielder shot from 10 meters, but was unsuccessful.
And then Akhmat almost scored after his set piece. Once again Rostov was saved by the crossbar: Celikovich gained the air and finished off with a header. Karpin, or rather his staff (the Russian national team coach himself was serving a suspension), reacted to what was happening on the field by replacing Komlichenko. The center forward never showed anything except the episode in which he fell in the Grozny area when he was trying to take a penalty without success. Nikolay shot at goal only once and did not pass the ball. During the entire first part of the season, Komlichenko only scored two goals in the match and one from a penalty; all marked in the summer.
In a match like this, one goal would be enough to win. In general, it seemed that in the last match before the winter break for the teams it was more important not to lose than to win by any means. Apart from the dangerous level, Romashchenko and Karpin’s teams had little to boast about in attack. “Akhmat” finally surpassed “Rostov” in shots – 17:12 (on goal – 5:1, from the penalty area – 13:9), created more scoring chances. In extra time, substitute Sadulaev was penalized, but the penalty kick was not deserved: referee Bobrovsky correctly determined that Langovich began to foul even before the penalty area. The Rostov defender was sent off.
