Surprisingly, Russian Cup RPL Path group stage rivals CSKA and Sochi scored their last field goals at the end of July. Then the southerners beat Fakel Voronezh (1:3) and CSKA, in turn, inflicted a crushing away defeat on Orenburg (0:6), which accelerated the departure of Czech specialist Jiri Jarosik from the team.
After this, the teams lost their matches in unison by 0-2. And in the face-to-face confrontation, with the final zero on the scoreboard, the penalty shootout was reached, in which the military team was luckier 0-0 (on penalties 4-5). To have more chances in the Russian Cup, the teams had to win.
After an unsuccessful match in the RPL with Spartak, the management of the southerners fired the team’s coach Dmitry Khokhlov. This is not the first time in the history of Sochi. Alexander Tochilin became a mentor. These changes in the field of coaches sometimes give new life or a second wind to clubs.
THE TIRELESS ABBOSBECK
From the first minutes of the match, Vladimir Fedotov’s team took over the territory and began to make periodic attacks on the Sochi area. The most active player in the first fifteen minutes was the best player from the previous match with Krylia Sovetov, the young Uzbek midfielder Abbosbek Faizullaev. He managed to distribute passes at high speed and himself was not averse to shooting on goal.
However, midway through the first half the visitors leveled the field. The ball became more and more under the control of Sochi, but they could not find anything intelligible ahead. The army team was positioned quite compactly in defense, which did not allow a quick advance towards Vladislav Torop’s goal.
NOBOA DOES NOT AGE
The most dangerous episode of the game occurred near halftime. The very active Faizullaev took the corner and Fedor Chalov tried to head the ball into the goal. But visiting goalkeeper Nikita Goylo saved the team from him: he stood up straight and passed the heavy ball over the goal line. And in the 40th minute, Sochi could have opened the scoring, but after a pass on the flank Maxim Mukhin prevented the guests from scoring the goal. The ball went to the military midfielder’s corner.
And yet, Sochi scored. Artur Yusupov dispersed the attack, Georgy Melkadze broke through the flank, delivered an exemplary cross into the area, where 38-year-old Christian Noboa calmly sent the ball into the CSKA goal. Guest activity increased and local defenders were unable to react to the alarms in time. A goal in the locker room is one of the most unpleasant events in football.
RIA Novosti
JET GLEBOV
In the first ten minutes of the second half, Fedotov’s team played much more actively than its rival. The army team needed to rectify the situation. Kirill Glebov especially stood out, coming on as a substitute in place of the Brazilian Kelven. It was Glebov who literally put the ball under the Sochi goal, where only Goylo saved the guests from the return after Faizullaev’s shot.
Speeds increased noticeably in the second segment of the game. The Sochi team concentrated a lot on their own half, while the red and blue tried to break Goylo’s possession in the center, each time running into obstacles in the form of the legs of the visiting defenders.
Performance to benefit the Agkatsev Cup. The goalkeeper’s miraculous save gave Krasnodar the victory over Dynamo
GOYLO RESCUE
In the 75th minute, the capital’s footballers carried out a demonstrative attack. Once again Faizullaev made an exemplary pass to Milan Gaich, who ran to meet Goylo. This time too, the young goalkeeper from Sochi turned out to be more agile than the CSKA attackers. But a few minutes later the locals celebrated their success. A standard corner ended with a close-range shot by Ivan Oblyakov. This blow is no longer something that Goilo or even Donnarumma could have delivered.
RIA Novosti
TOROP – CSKA HERO
The long-awaited goal relaxed the military team a little, which failed Melkadze’s attack against Torop, where the time came for the Moscow goalkeeper to save his club. In added time, Tochilin’s team had a real opportunity to win the game in regulation time. The Sochi players shot Torop at point-blank range, but the young goalkeeper saved the home team. The final whistle subsequently sounded, sending the match to a penalty shootout.
In the eleven-meter series, the Moscow army team took the lead. Vladislav Torop played the game of his life.
