Farfan's goal and penalty spot on Kvaratskhelia: how the draws of Lokomotiv and CSKA made Krasnodar a favorite of the RPL silver

The fourth draw of Lokomotiv in a row and the weakened composition of Ufa

Lokomotiv, which is fighting for the RPL silver medals and a direct ticket to the group stage of the Champions League, has seriously slowed down in recent matches. After two consecutive victories in matches with Orenburg and Rubin, the wards of Marco Nikolic gave a series of three draws in a row. In particular, the railroad workers failed to beat Sochi and Wings of the Soviets.

And after the derby with Spartak, the red-greens faced another serious test - a home meeting with Ufa, which under Vadim Evseev proved to be a real “thunderstorm of authority”. In the first round, Lokomotiv took away only one point from Bashkortostan.

However, this time the coaching staff of the guests for various reasons could not count on a number of key players: Jemal Tabidze, Ketalin Karp, Jonut Nedelchiar, Alexander Pucko, Alexei Nikitin, Boyan Yokichia and others. Some of them fell into the application for the game, but did not enter the field.

But even with a mixed squad, Ufa fought Lokomotiv. Yevseyev’s wards traditionally reliably acted on the defensive and fled into dangerous counterattacks as soon as possible. The home team had a total possession of the ball 65%, and in the first half - 75% at all, but in the scoring chances this possession rarely poured out.

Aleksey Miranchuk and the partners failed to penetrate into the penalty area, so it remained to count on long-range strikes. Actually, the most dangerous moment of the railway workers before the break was created by Grzegorz Krychowiak, who was marked by a strong shot from outside the penalty area, which Alexander Belenov managed not without difficulty.

But “Ufa” at the end of the first half unexpectedly opened an account. Murilo in his own penalty box knocked down Artyom Golubev, and Daniel Fomin confidently realized a penalty.

In the second half, the advantage of Loko became even more serious. Footballers Nikolic hit the opponent’s goal as soon as possible and eventually delivered 22 shots. However, they were not truly dangerous. Most often, the ball flew directly into Belenov’s hands.

But in the end, the hosts still managed to escape from defeat, and Jefferson Farfan, who entered the field in the RPL match for the first time in 14 months, distinguished himself. The Peruvian missed a long period due to a serious injury, and in May, in addition, he fell ill with a coronavirus.

Loko coaching staff released the forward for the last 20 minutes, and he took his chance. After serving João Mariou from the depths, Farfan, left alone, sent the ball into the net.

Slutsky against the former team and the goal of Chalov 

The fourth consecutive draw of Lokomotiv was great news for CSKA, which held its match with Rubin immediately after the railroad. CSKA, unlike a competitor, won three victories in a row and, in case of another success, could reduce the backlog from second place to two points. At the same time, on Thursday, Lokomotiv and CSKA will meet in-person.

However, Viktor Goncharenko's wards failed to extend the winning streak, although they were very close to this. CSKA from the first minutes seized the initiative and forced the opponent to snuggle up to their own goal. Moreover, in the attack, the hosts showed a truly spectacular football. Nikola Vlašić, Fedor Chalov and other CSKA players weaved combinations near the penalty Kazan and created dangerous moments.

That's just the accuracy of the team was not enough. One Vlašić before the break missed some profitable moments. Even Georgy Schennkov, who regularly connected to the attacks on the left flank, caused a couple of dangerous moments. But in the first half, the army team failed to break through Yuri Dupin.

During the break, Goncharenko made two substitutions at once and removed Konstantin Maradishvili and Schennikov from the field who received yellow cards. Instead, Kristian Bistrovich and Konstantin Kuchaev entered the game.

The release of fresh players allowed CSKA to push Rubin even closer to the goal. And in the end, after an hour of play, the ball the team needed was still scored. Chalov struck from the penalty bottom line precisely into the far corner.

It seemed that the red and blue ones would bring the matter to another victory, but in the end, the replacements of Slutsky worked. The coach let out fresh and technical Soltmurad Bakaev and Zuriko Davitashvili on the field, and moments began to appear at the gates of Akinfeev. Including twice the experienced midfielder managed to disturb the Georgian midfielder.

And in the 87th minute, another representative of Georgia earned a penalty for Kazan. Ivan Oblyakov, in his own penalty area, inaccurately rolled up under Khvich Kvaratskheliy, and Judge Alexei Matyunin pointed to the "point". Moreover, initially the referee punished the guests' player for the simulation. But a tip from his colleagues at VAR helped him make the right decision.

Penalties in the “Rubin” was realized by another substitute player Evgeny Markov. The striker spread Akinfeev and the ball in different angles. So Slutsky took away from the former team the most important points that could cost CSKA a place in the Champions League for next season.

Three goals from Krasnodar and the unsuccessful debut of Poletaev

But “Krasnodar” was able to take advantage of the misfires of competitors and interrupted the three-match losing streak in the RPL. The wards of Murad Musaev at home managed to defeat the “Urals” - 3-0. 

Already in the 13th minute, the gates of 20-year-old Vladislav Poletaev, who made his debut in the Premier League, were struck by Marcus Berg. The Swede corrected the ball on target after hitting Daniil Utkin with a free kick.

Subsequently, southerners could repeatedly increase the advantage in the long run, but missed the right moments. So, after an hour of the game, the same Berg, trying to finish the ball into the goal from an acute angle, hit the post. 

But immediately after the break, Manuel Fernandes managed to excel. The Portuguese, on the second attempt, sent a shell into the gates of Poletaev from the penalty area. 

Finally, put an end to the Remy Cabella match. At the end of the meeting, who replaced Nikolai Zolotov in his own penalty box knocked Vanderson, and the judge pointed to the “point”. The Frenchman mockingly struck with a panick and marked his debut goal as part of Krasnodar. 

The victory over the Urals helped the southerners beat CSKA in the RPL standings. Moreover, they have a match in stock. And the southerners are on a par with Lokomotiv on lost points.