Rumors about the dismissal of the rival coach and Akinfeev's praise: how Amkal and 2DROTS made a splash in the Russian Cup

A few months ago, Medialeague was spoken about in professional circles jokingly and with a little disdain.

So, after a friendly match between Dynamo and Amkal, which was attended by 15 thousand spectators, the goalkeeper of the blue and white Igor Leshchuk called the new phenomenon a "parody of football."

And the leaders of the RPL and the RFU, on the contrary, thought about whether this is the future and potential development of the sport in the country.

Of course, we are talking, first of all, about the new supply of “content” for different audience segments, as Alexander Alaev, the new head of the league, put it the day before.

Professional clubs often like to close at the base, do not communicate with the press and get hung up on the result, because financial well-being depends on it.

Medialiga also includes former football players, but actors, singers, bloggers play with them.

This year, mixed martial arts fighters will be added under the leadership of Alexander Mostovoy, Evgeni Plushenko is already training, soon Alexander Emelianenko will join one of the teams.

These people know exactly how to make a show that will attract ordinary viewers who are not fond of sports.

Therefore, the inclusion of the finalists of the last season of the tournament - "Amkala" and 2DROTS - in the composition of the participants in the Cup of Russia from the side of the leadership of the RFU looked like an experiment in terms of PR technologies.

Moreover, it does not have image and other risks.

The most that could happen was that the amateur clubs would be eliminated in the first round of the competition.

However, this did not happen.

Hot dog at the warm-up and interview during the game

First of all, it is worth paying attention to the Amkal match itself, before the start of which, and during it, things happened that did not fit with the classical perception of football.

So, the reserve goalkeeper of "Amkal" Fyodor Maslov walked around the field during the warm-up with a hot dog, which he was presented with.

Fans saw this as a reference to the story of Sutton goalkeeper Wayne Shaw.

He once ate a pie right during the cup game with Arsenal.

Then the leadership of the Premier League did not appreciate the athlete's antics: they disqualified him for two months and issued a fine.

Maslov was at first confused and did not know what to do with the hot dog, but then he decided to try it anyway and even appreciated the taste, and then shared his expectations from the match at the bench. 

“The mood is super.

This is the case when the guys from Zorkoy should be more nervous.

If they don’t win, they will have questions,” said the goalkeeper. 

Interviews with the players, by the way, could be taken right during the match.

Those who warmed up calmly shared their opinions online.

And one of the journalists even shouted at the goalkeeper of the team from Krasnogorsk, asking him to comment on the controversial episode from the penalty spot.

At the same time, all the country's leading sports media eventually came to the game 1/256 of the Russian Cup. 

Well, after the victory on the field, something incredible also happened.

As if the team won the Champions League final or another major tournament.

Forward "Amkal", a pupil of "Zenith" Alexei Gasilin, who once won the European Youth Championship, admitted that this time he experienced much stronger emotions.

What can we say about the rest.

So, Nikita Kurylenko, aka Finito, called everything that happens a fairy tale. 

“Four years ago, when we just got together on the box, we just played.

As a result, it all resulted in what we have now: my name is on the Transfermarkt ... I am 29 years old, a person who played football for four or five years at school.

It doesn't fit in my head.

It's something surreal, incredible, impossible, but it happens to me.

Life is the best writer.

You can't imagine better, shock.

We are waiting for Amkal in Football Manager, ”the Championship player quotes. 

It was not a laughing matter for the players and the coaching staff of Zorkiy.

They seem to have underestimated the opponent, although they themselves have only recently played in the amateur league.

According to Amkal goalkeeper Alexander Mamenko, who saved two penalties, he once tried to get into the club from Krasnogorsk, but the goalkeeper was not taken with the wording: “We don’t need bloggers.”

The day after the defeat, information appeared about the resignation of the head coach of Zorkiy Denis Lopatin.

It was in the status of a dismissed specialist that he even gave an interview in which he spoke with respect about his opponent. 

“These are not bloggers, but football players who were not given a chance or who stopped playing.

Anyone can become a blogger, but not every blogger can become a footballer.

This is absolutely a football team.

But I'm not saying this in my defense.

We had to beat them, but we lost.

And the coach is always to blame for the defeats, ”the RB Sport specialist quotes. 

However, Zorkom did not confirm the resignation.

According to the general director of the team, Alexei Alekseev, all these are the fantasies of the Amkal players.

“At the moment, no decision has been made on the resignation.

It is necessary to draw certain conclusions after the game.

This is said by bloggers who collect rumors somewhere, have heard something.

They live by this, ”said the specialist.

"Fiery Media Content" 

One of the first to congratulate Amkal on the victory was Alaev, who was one of the initiators of inviting Medialeague teams to the Russian Cup.   

“The match with Zorkiy demonstrated that the mutual integration of media football and professional football is possible.

This is a spectacular sight for the fans.

Fiery media content.

This is for the benefit of Russian football and popularizes our sport number.

The first step towards a new audience.

I congratulate Amkal on a historic achievement.

It is very pleasant that football fans and the media have paid attention to such an early stage of the oldest Russian Cup, ”the specialist noted. 

CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, who very rarely gives interviews, also spoke about the victory of Amkal.

The goalkeeper admitted that such victories motivate people to try to realize their dreams.  

“Those who want to achieve goals do it.

I am for any sport.

People play and have fun.

The match was not bad, I looked at the review, noted the goalkeeper's game - I made a key save.

Women's football is the same.

If they want to play sports, why not?

They must stick to their opinion, ”said the soldier.

Commentator Vasily Utkin reacted more balanced to what was happening.

He attributed the attractiveness of the Medialeague teams to their openness.

However, according to the journalist, this will not have a long-term effect. 

“Now in our society and football in particular, there are a lot of restrictions, a lot of them are on contact outside the club.

It is necessary to coordinate the interview with the press service and much more.

There is no such thing here.

I think that this works for normal popularity, but in itself is not a long-term effect ... Anyway, people want to watch quality football first of all.

Medialiga may well reach this level.

But one hype is not enough here.

I think that the organizers of the IFL understand all this very well, ”Na Sporte quotes Utkin as saying. 

Agent Dmitry Selyuk, in turn, is embarrassed by the fact that fixed matches can also come to the Russian Cup along with the Medialiga.  

“Blogging teams in the Russian Cup – devaluation of professional football?

They will crash early, so what's the difference.

Another thing is that many of these teams run betting shops.

Therefore, it will not be a novelty if a lot of fixed matches take place with the participation of these teams.

Another question is that the level of football in the second league is so low that bloggers, having strengthened themselves with one or two normal players, will be no worse, ”the specialist said. 

Congratulated "Amkal" with access to the next stage of the tournament and the Moscow "Dynamo".

“We prepared the guys in the off-season,” the club said in a message on the Telegram channel.

Who knows, if it were not for that match with Alexander Ovechkin, perhaps the fans would not have seen this enchanting victory.

"We gave all our strength"

After the victory of "Amkal", special attention was focused on the second team of the Medialiga - 2DROTS, which met with "Chertanovo".

This match was held at the Arena-Khimki and impressed with its attendance.

You will not always see such a number of spectators at RPL matches.

And of course, bloggers could not lose face in front of their fans and showed an excellent game, scoring three unanswered goals at once.

Emotions, as in the case of Amkal, after the meeting knew no bounds.

2DROTS goalkeeper Dmitry Sychev admitted that he did not believe in such a result.

"We did it!

They gave their all on the field.

Every player we had on the bench and in the stands just died to make a difference.

First of all, we are a family.

I will never get tired of repeating that 2DROTS is the top 1 team!

"Damn" surprised!

I prepared, watched the last seven games, imagined from each Chertanovo player what he could do.

In the first half, we analyzed the opponent, and in the second you go out and do the result lightly, ”said Sychev.

Former Manchester United player Andrei Kanchelskis was shocked by the result of the match.

In his opinion, bloggers should not beat the youth.

This indicates a low level of development of football in the country.

“Even bloggers and pubs are already beating professionals with us!

So we have such young people.

Everyone shouted that football is developing in our country - but where?

Not ashamed?

Just a shame.

Youth and professionals should tear and throw.

For professional football, this is a disaster.

In no way am I belittling the merits of Amkal and 2DROTS.

I congratulate the guys.

But everyone celebrated the Chertanovo school, shouted that they had such promising youth, told fairy tales, hung noodles on their ears.

And here their bloggers smear 3:0, ”Kanchelskis was outraged. 

The head of the Medialeague, Nikolai Osipov, in turn, explained the success of the teams by the opponent's misalignment.

“They just think: “Who is there?

Amkal, 2DROTS?

Now let's go out on one leg."

I think that's the point.

But attitudes towards media football are changing.

It will be more aggressive.

Especially in professional football, because someone beat you somewhere.

Of course, I wanted the attitude to be positive.

The guys are great, they try, they shoot some stories, clips and stories.

They should be praised that at the same time they still play football cool, ”Sport-Express quotes Osipov as saying.