The participants of the RPL route of the Russian Cup crossed the halfway point of the group stage. The fourth round began with a match in Krasnodar, where the local club hosted Dynamo from the capital. Vladimir Ivich’s team, which leads the national championship standings, was not doing well in the cup before this match.
The Bulls lost two of three games, including to their opponent in Tuesday’s next game. And in the “D” quartet they only came in third place. Which, according to the results of the group stage, will allow the fight to continue only within the framework of the Path of the Regions without the right to make another mistake.
Stop this carnival! Dinamo and Krasnodar continued their great scoring show
But if the results of Spartak, which had fallen at the top, are not taken into account, the other three teams of these four were very close to each other in the table. And each upcoming match could significantly change the layout of the tournament. So they were both in a super serious mood.
The first minutes passed under the dictates of Krasnodar. The home team, encouraged by the usual noisy stands, were more active than their rival for a third of the half. But the Bulls’ attacking players lacked precision in the final stage.
Time passed and little by little the initiative began to pass to the Muscovites. It was they who created the first truly dangerous moment in this game. Viacheslav Grulev put Yaroslav Gladyshev in an attacking position and he scored from close range. But Stanislav Agkatsev helped the southerners in this episode.
And just five minutes later, Dinamo opened the scoring, although not without a certain coincidence. Kevin Lenini stumbled while handling the ball in his half of the field, which was immediately taken advantage of by Daniil Lesovoy, who launched himself at him with a kite. The blue and white midfielder found Brazilian newcomer Bitello with a pass, who left Agkatsev no chance with a masterful shot into the corner.
FC Dinamo (Moscow)
After this, the rivals continued to exchange strong attacking shots. But the goalkeepers acted impeccably in critical situations near their possessions. So the teams went to half-time with Dinamo’s minimal advantage. And Ivic had fifteen minutes to have a serious conversation with his players.
As a result, the Krasnodar coach did not rush to make radical changes to the squad. But the home team’s game has changed radically. Having resisted the opponent’s attack at the beginning of the second half, the southerners began to regularly create danger in Dinamo’s goal. In one episode, only the collective efforts of Igor Leshchuk, Fabián Balbuena and Diego Laxalt saved the Muscovites from scoring.
And yet the Krasnodar attack could not help but bear fruit. Kadi Borges’ shot from outside the area became an insoluble problem for Leshchuk. The score in this match was level.
FC Krasnodar
After this, the goalkeeper and the blue and white defense had even more work to do. The home team was quick to put pressure on the rival and Dinamo was clearly playing as number two in those minutes. But the ball stubbornly refused to enter the capital club’s goal. The Muscovites responded with rare counterattacks, but against the background of the bravery of the Krasnodar team, the efforts of the visitors seemed like a drop in the ocean.
One way or another, the match moved smoothly towards a draw, which, according to the regulations, meant the continuation of the fight in the penalty shootout. Krasnodar did not lose hope of achieving victory in regulation time, adding three points. But Dynamo was able to survive. And Roman Safyan’s whistle made the players compete in the ability to execute kicks from the penalty spot.
FC Krasnodar
The main protagonist of the penalty shootout was the Krasnodar goalkeeper. Agkatsev, who played brilliantly throughout the match, repelled the shots of Konstantin Tyukavin and Fedor Smolov and gave his teammates the right to make a mistake. Igor Leshchuk tried to bring Dynamo back into the game, but the southerners’ lead was already too big. 4-2 in the penalty shootout, and Vladimir Ivich’s team catches up with Dinamo on points in the Group D standings.
