After a long break for the Russian national team, Spartak, in the match against the team of the same name, moved from Sochi to Moscow, had to prove that the prolonged crisis was just one episode of a long season and nothing more. The irritant was perfect. Sochi has shown in recent seasons that it is one of the most unpleasant rivals for the red and whites.
CSKA and “Wings” starred in a real thriller in Moscow. The teams finished the match in 10-on-10 lineups.
ATTEMPTS WITHOUT ORDER OF “SPARTAK”
In the first 20 minutes, Guillermo Abascal’s team had an overwhelming advantage, which, however, did not translate into too dangerous moments. Yes, Spartak completely seized the territory, but something intelligible somehow did not take effect. The team seemed to be in good shape, but many things did not work out.
There were promising approaches to the Sochi goal by Nikolai Zabolotny. Promes, Sobolev, Bongonda literally cut the visiting defense in the center, but the ball did not enter the goal. However, that pressure would one day have to lead to a logical outcome. Dmitry Khokhlov’s team had absolutely no control over the ball, and this characteristic is Spartak’s bread and butter.
At the end of the first half, the game seemed to have completely calmed down and the guests were even more active than the home team. The Spartak players fell silent and stopped accelerating, the game went into a pedestrian phase, which was very reminiscent of the recent confrontation between the Russian national team and the Egyptian youth team. And if there is no speed, near the Sochi area there was the feeling that there were not 22 players on the field, but 122, so dense was it in the approaches to the possessions of the guests from the south.
Photo source: RIA Novosti
WITHOUT SPEED AND PASSION
The second half seemed to pass with Spartak’s complete advantage, but without quick attacks (which is the element of Abascal’s pupils), not even a club now in decline like Sochi would be able to win on the fly. There were explosions and opportunities, but in the last stage, when it seemed that one correct move could decide the episode, the Muscovites ran out of ideas and all technicalities went to the grass.
What was needed, as before, was constant speed and pressure, but that was not the case. But the guests, thanks to the tactic of minor fouls, skillfully showed the attributes of anti-football and it worked like clockwork. Those are the ambitions of the recent RPL silver medalist. Dmitry Khokhlov does not have time to gain weight, he tries to squeeze the most out of his team.
MEDINA FAILURE
Closer to the 80th minute, the players of the capital club switched to the 4-4-2 tactic, with an increase in pace mainly from the fresh Jesús Medina. However, it was Medina who missed the empty goal at the most dangerous moment of the game. And before that there were constant dangers, but this was the moment of truth.
Photo source: RIA Novosti
And yet “Spartak” was lucky. After much torment, poking around the area and a three-game goalless streak, the ball was sent into the goal of the unfortunate guests… by defender Srdjan Babic. And not with the head, as would be more logical, but with the foot. Thus, the Serbian defender gave the locals a painful and long-awaited victory.
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