FOREIGN LEGION “CITIZENS”
This couple in the Russian Cup was no less promising than Spartak and Lokomotiv, but in the first game in Moscow, the army team put on a charming show, literally crushing the opponent. Even 0-3 for the “bulls” turned out to be a gift, which was given to them by Matvey Safonov, who won several one-on-one starts, and Jorge Carrascal, who hit the crossbar from the penalty spot.
For Krasnodar, the second leg was not important even from the point of view of the tournament. In the end, three balls are rarely recovered, and a defeat in the total of two games threatens only understanding in the net. But this is a good opportunity for the new coach Vladimir Ivic to test his strength and ideas against a very strong opponent and better understand the capabilities of his players.
Photo source: FC Krasnodar
Do you remember that in the first match Spartak and Loko presented the majority of the Russian lineups? Unfortunately, in this year’s first home game for Krasnodar, famous for its much-discussed academy, there were only two Russians: Safonov and Sergey Petrov, plus the Armenian midfielder with a Russian passport, Eduard Spertsyan.
From Vladimir Fedotov, I expected an extremely cautious game because of the result, but it was impossible to draw such conclusions from the starting lineup. The coach limited himself to repeating his choice five days ago.
KRASNODAR TOWER
I think that many expected from Krasnodar, who had the difficult task of recovering three goals, that they would start the match like a hurricane as the participants of the game at the Otkritie Arena did the day before, but the speed of the “townspeople” changed. . it turned out to be an order of magnitude lower, which only made life easier for the army. They defended in cold blood and even more often delivered the ball into someone else’s penalty area than their rivals.
Thus, the redjiazules serenely controlled the course of the game, which took place for the most part in the middle of the field, where Spertsyan, Mikhailo Banyats and Kadi Borges, the three, could not overcome the resistance of Konstantin Kuchaev, who was not the most reliable in the defensive game, and Víctor Méndez. Looking at this “Krasnodar”, the Tower of Babel comes to mind, which could not be built in any way, because all people spoke different languages. Today’s Krasnodar, unfortunately, has no face and no style. As they were under Igor Shalimov or Murad Musaev.
Photo source: FC Krasnodar
Only three stand out in the Bulls: Christian Ramírez, who tirelessly plows down the left flank, Spertsyan, from whom all the creativity comes, and John Córdoba, who receives many passes. True, they are all in a fight, forcing the Colombian to push and shove to catch the ball. CSKA did not shine in the first half either, but nothing was required of it.
GREAT GOAL THAT COULD NOT HAPPEN
What Krasnodar has is Spertsyan’s incredible ability to take free kicks. He took advantage of them early in the second half: with a powerful strike from 27 meters, he turned the wall into the nearest corner, leaving Igor Akinfeev without the 351st dry game of his career. True, it is not a fact that the penalty kick was designated by Sergei Karasev in the case. Numerous repetitions did not convince that Víctor Méndez broke the rules in Córdoba.
Photo source: FC Krasnodar
Krasnodar lit up for a moment, but Cordoba shot past from a vantage point and the hosts couldn’t think of anything else. All the same slow possessions, all the same transfers to the striker in the fight. It is a pity, but the ex-soldier Ilzat Akhmetov, who came on as a substitute in the Moscow match, did not enter the match either.
Fedotov, as expected, dried up the game even more, due to the substitutions of Carrascal and Chalov, he practically abandoned even counterattacks. Anton Zabolotny and Sasha Zdelar, who came out in his place, got to work. Thus, the striker made Borges and Cayo limp after three minutes. In his own way, a genius, of course, a footballer.
Well, Fedotov in such a defensive game will give Kurban Berdyev odds. Well, he’s right, since CSKA is going to the semifinals of the RPL Route, and Krasnodar is going to the Regions Route, where they risk running into Zenit right away. But everyone seems to be happy. The “Bulls” achieved the first victory of the year, and the army team achieved its goal.
Russian Cup. RPL path. Quarter finals. game of return
Krasnodar – CSKA – 1:0 (0:0)
Goal: Spertsyan, 50.
Krasnodar: Safonov, Petrov (Volkov, 46), Cayo, J. Alonso, Ramirez, Banyats (Chernikov, 74), Spertsyan, Borges (Krivtsov, 83), Kobnan (Akhmetov, 46), Olusegun (Ionov, 66), Córdoba .
CSKA: Akinfeev, Nababkin, Rocha, Moizes, Gaich, Kuchaev (Ermakov, 70), Mendes, Oblyakov, Medina (Mukhin, 90), Carrascal (Zdelar, 69), Chalov (A. Zabolotny, 60).
Warnings: J. Alonso, 23. Volkov, 81. Krivtsov, 90+2.
Referee: Karasev (Moscow).
First game – 0:3
