Defeat in the Moscow region and a sensation in Ufa: how Khimki and Orenburg won victories in the RPL joints

Key return of Rudenko and Mirzov

The play-offs for the right to remain in the RPL did not begin in the best way for the teams of the elite division.

Khimki lost to SKA-Khabarovsk on the road and had to win back a one-goal handicap at home.

In addition, following the results of the conflict with the ball-boys, the team was left without the main central defender Giya Grigalava, who was disqualified by the RFU FTC for two matches.

But goalkeeper Ilya Lantratov escaped with a fine and was able to enter the field.

And most importantly, forward Alexander Rudenko and midfielder Reziuan Mirzov returned to the squad, without which Khimki looked toothless ahead in Khabarovsk.

Forward already in the seventh minute earned a penalty.

Mikhail Gashchenkov stepped on his foot in the penalty area, and referee Sergei Ivanov, after watching the replay of the episode, pointed to the “point”.

And Denis Glushakov confidently converted a penalty kick.

After that, the wards of Alexei Poddubsky were forced to go forward, and the Moscow Region team got the opportunity to carry out branded quick attacks and open the defense at speed.

In addition, Khabarovsk regularly allowed failures in the support zone and did not have time to return back.

Khimki created great chances.

For example, Rudenko did not realize a one-on-one exit.

In the middle of the first half, the FNL team leveled the game and even delivered a couple of shots on target.

Strong hail with rain also played into her hands, which leveled the opponent's advantage in technical equipment.

But shortly before the break, the guests conceded the second goal.

This time Mirzov excelled.

Reziuan himself gave an excellent pass to Butta Magomedov, who joined the attack, and then closed his cross with a blow from several meters.

And at the very beginning of the second half, Khimki put an end to the confrontation.

Moreover, Rudenko's injury involuntarily helped them.

The striker suffered damage to the back of the thigh and gave way to Alexander Dolgov.

A fresh footballer after just a minute turned out to be the quickest of all on the pitch of the corner and brought the matter to a rout.

To the credit of the SKA-Khabarovsk players, they did not give up even in such a situation.

Poddubsky switched to a four-back scheme and threw two players from the attacking group into battle - Alexander Gagloev and Vladislav Bragin.

This paid off - the guests seized the initiative and pressed the opponent to the penalty area.

But the hosts defended calmly and rarely forced Lantratov to enter the game.

And when, ten minutes before the final whistle, Kamran Aliyev nevertheless hit the gate after a corner, Ivanov canceled the goal due to a clear offside position.

Moreover, soon, the Moscow Region team earned a second penalty for a foul on Kirill Bozhenov, but Mirzov failed to convert it.

He unsophisticatedly struck almost in the center, and Vladimir Sugrobov coped with the threat.

Thus, Khimki, despite the defeat in the first match, retained their place in the elite and demonstrated that SKA-Khabarovsk is simply below the class at the moment.

And Sergei Yuran did not allow the team in which he worked until February to rise to the RPL.

The fateful blow of the Small

Ufa also experienced difficulties in confrontation with Orenburg.

Moreover, the Bashkortostan team led most of the meeting in the long run, and no one could have imagined that they would have problems.

By the 62nd minute, Alexei Stukalov's wards converted two penalties.

However, they completely failed the last half an hour and allowed the opponent to recoup — 2:2.

But the minimum advantage on the eve of the home meeting still remained with the RPL team, because the away goal rule still applies in the joints.

In addition, the opponent lost the most experienced defender Adesoye Oyevole, who was removed in the end.

But the small handicap of the hosts was quickly leveled.

"Orenburg" actively started the match and already in the 13th minute opened the scoring.

On a corner kick, Joel Fameye successfully closed Mikhail Sivakov's discount.

The ball with two ricochets still flew into the net.

After that, "Ufa" had no choice but to go forward.

The guests, on the contrary, settled down in their own half almost in full force.

So far, their tactics have worked.

Opponents hardly penetrated into the penalty area, not understanding how to break open a saturated defense, and Hamid Agalarov dropped out of the game.

But the pressure of Stukalov's wards was getting stronger.

And the coach himself, shortly before the whistle for a break, went for a rather risky replacement.

Defender Alexander Sukhov gave way to forward Dylan Ortiz.

She redeemed herself instantly.

The advantage of the hosts became overwhelming, and after the filing of Konstantin Pliev from the left flank, fresh Ortis corrected the ball to Yuri Zhuravlev, who joined the attack, who unhindered hit the target.

Ufa played the second half too passively, for which in the end they paid the price.

The team clung to their gates and practically did not attack.

Now Orenburg was trying to open a saturated defense.

However, the guests could not do anything with the opponent's three tall central defenders.

They tried to deliver the ball into the penalty area through the flanks, but there was clearly not enough high forward, and Fameye was not able to catch on to serve.

If it came to blows, they did not carry any particular danger.

As a rule, Anton Chichkan calmly coped with all threats.

Closer to the final whistle, it began to seem that the guests were doomed.

They went forward rather by inertia, and Lichka was slow with substitutions.

Only in the end did he throw two attackers Arshak Koryan and Vladimir Sychev into battle at once.

The Bashkortostan team controlled the course of the meeting even in stoppage time and did not even allow the opponent to organize the final assault.

But one successful removal of Kirill Kaplenko from his own half of the field changed everything in the 94th minute.

And again, Orenburg, as in the first match, was saved by the captain and old-timer Andrey Malykh.

He handled the ball with one touch, and sent it to the far corner with the second bottom.

Chichkan could not rescue his partners.

Before the final whistle, "Ufa" had enough time, but the demoralized Bashkortostan team failed to create another miracle.

Now it is time for them to complain about the injury of the main goalkeeper Alexander Belenov and the lost victory on the road.

For the first time since the 2013/14 season, the team will not play in the RPL.

The wards of Lichka, having twice shown an inflexible character in the joints, return to the elite after a two-year absence.