Fatal foul Biyola

The main event of the game day was the Moscow derby CSKA - Spartak.

Principal rivals have recently shown not the best results in the RPL.

The army team lost points in confrontations with outsiders and dropped out of the championship race.

And the red-whites dropped to tenth place altogether.

That is why for both the Cup of Russia was the last opportunity to save the season.

It is not surprising that the players started the most important game extremely slowly and cautiously.

They were well aware that the cost of any mistake could be a relegation from the tournament.

The wards of Paolo Vanoli acted with a slight advantage, but the hosts did not leave them free space.

The more unexpected was the goal of the guests in the middle of the first half.

The said fateful blot was made by Yaka Biyol.

After a cross from Shamar Nicholson, the ball hit his hand.

Judge Vladimir Moskalev at first did not indicate the “point”, but after consulting with his colleagues at VAR, he changed his decision.

Zelimkhan Bakaev, on the other hand, confidently spread the projectile and Igor Akinfeev in different angles.

CSKA did not recover from this blow before the break.

The team of Alexei Berezutsky practically did not disturb Alexander Maksimenko, if you do not take into account a couple of harmless shots from a long distance.

Spartak could well have scored more.

So, Akinfeev reacted in an incredible way to Nicholson's blow at close range.

On top of all the troubles, the red-blues remained in the minority in stoppage time by the referee.

Jean-Philippe Gbamin managed to get two yellow cards in ten minutes, and the second - for an elbow strike in the face of Roman Zobnin.

Left in the minority, the army team was forced to go forward after the break and expose the rear.

The red-whites repeatedly caught the opponent on counterattacks and could develop their advantage.

However, the experienced Akinfeev continued to act beyond praise, reflecting the shots of Maximiliano Kofrier and the same Nicholson.

CSKA also had a chance to escape, but lacked a bit of luck.

After the blows of Jorge Carrascal and Georgy Shchennikov, the bar saved the guests.

The red-whites still did not allow the opponent to recoup and for the second time in the last three years they knocked him out of the fight in the Cup quarter-finals.

In 2020, Spartak at the Otkritie Arena put the squeeze on CSKA in stoppage time - 3:2.

The army team, on the contrary, suffered their first defeat from a principled opponent this season.

As part of the national championship, they turned out to be stronger twice.

Leshchuk's decisive save

The quarter-final stage unexpectedly turned out to be extremely successful for the teams from the FNL, because two of them won at once.

Spoiled the statistics only "Baltika".

But the Kaliningraders did everything in their power.

At home, they gave a fight to the Dynamo fighting for the championship and almost created a sensation.

Moreover, the wards of Sergei Ignashevich did not close in their half of the field, but sought to act with a venerable opponent on an equal footing and even surpassed him in possession of the ball (54% to 46%).

And in terms of the number of shots on target, equality was recorded - 3:3.

In addition, the blue and white in the first half were left without Nicola Moreau, who was seriously injured.

The midfielder was smashed into the blood in the face in riding martial arts, and he could not continue the game.

However, almost immediately after that, the guests scored a curious ball.

Denis Makarov served from the right flank, counting on Konstantin Tyukavin.

The striker did not reach him, but confused the goalkeeper, who failed to rescue his partners.

But Baltika did not let go of their hands and equalized the score five minutes before the final whistle.

After the cross from the left side, Ishkhan Geloyan technically worked the projectile on his first touch, and with the second he gently rolled it down to the far corner - 1:1.

As a result, the fate of the confrontation was decided in a penalty shootout, where the reserve goalkeeper of Muscovites Igor Leshchuk became the main character.

He not only parried the first blow performed by Oleg Aleinik, but also guessed the direction of all the others and was close to making at least a couple more saves.

So, Dynamo still put the squeeze on the opponent and for the first time in ten years reached the semi-finals of the tournament.

Moreover, in 2012 the team reached the decisive meeting, but lost to Rubin.

Another failure of Slutsky

Meanwhile, Kazan suffered another fiasco.

In the RPL, the team of Leonid Slutsky, after the resumption of the championship, scored only four points and dropped almost into the relegation zone.

The last hope for saving the season was connected with the Cup.

However, "Rubin" limply flew out from there, losing on the road to "Yenisei" - 1:3.

Watching the match, it was difficult to understand that it was the guests who were playing in the elite division, because they did not succeed.

The game in the attack did not stick, and Vitaly Lisakovich was cut off from his partners.

But the defenders made one blunder after another.

As a result, the team conceded three times already in the first half.

Andrey Okladnikov opened the scoring in the 12th minute.

He soon doubled the lead.

Nikita Glushkov scored next.

After the break, the Krasnoyarsk team were also closer to the goal, for example, Okladnikov missed a great opportunity to score the third, hitting the crossbar.

Only in the end German Onugha, who came on as a substitute, scored a prestige goal.

Yenisey deserved the title of one of the main discoveries of the tournament.

Wards of Vadim Garanin for the first time in history reached the semifinals of the Cup of the country, simultaneously knocking out three representatives of the RPL from the fight at once: Krylya Sovetov, Lokomotiv and Rubin.

Moreover, the railroad workers were defeated on the road - 4:0.

But Slutsky in the near future, according to media reports, may be dismissed.

He himself stressed that he was not going to leave, and once again complained about personnel difficulties.

“Ten people, whom we only restore for each match, Konstantin Kuchaev flies out from us, and serious problems immediately begin.

What thoughts?

It is necessary to keep this group of players as healthy as possible, ”Business Online quotes the words of a specialist.

Incredible shot by Giorgobiani

But the main sensation of the quarter-final stage was the departure of Zenit.

It was expected that the Petersburgers on the road will easily take over Alania playing in the FNL.

Sergei Semak even allowed himself to leave three Brazilians in reserve: Douglas dos Santos, Yuri Alberto and Malcolm.

It seems that the reigning champions of the country were themselves confident in their victory.

Otherwise, it is difficult to explain their impressiveness and some drowsiness.

In the first half, the team created almost nothing.

The opponent, on the contrary, acted with great desire and organized one dangerous moment after another.

That is why the goal of Batraz Gurtsiev fully followed from the logic of the game.

At the start of the second half, the striker neatly clipped the ball on target with his head after a corner.

Only after that Semak threw his leaders into battle, and the favorite pressed the opponent to the gate.

This quickly bore fruit, and it was just the replacement players who distinguished themselves.

First, Douglas equalized with a kick from outside the penalty area, and then Ivan Sergeev closed the cross of Daler Kuzyaev and scored the second goal for Zenit.

But, even being in such a difficult situation, Vladikavkaz did not give up and in the 93rd minute they scored an incredibly beautiful ball from a free kick.

Nikolai Giorgobiani delivered a stunning sweeping blow over the wall in the near nine, and Mikhail Kerzhakov was clearly too late with the jump.

And in the post-match penalty shootout, the goalkeeper of the hosts Rostislav Soldatenko played a key role.

Firstly, he was not afraid to be the first to approach the "point" and confidently realized his attempt.

Secondly, he repelled the shots of Alexei Sutormin and Danil Krugovoy.

In turn, Kerzhakov recorded only one save as an asset.

So Alania performed a football miracle and for the first time since 2011 made it to the Cup final.

Then she lost to CSKA in the final.