Photo: © Mikhail Zimin / Match TV
“Red-white” could not get a victory over “Sochi”. The pursuit of “Zenith” again stalled.
The match of the 16th round of the MIR of the Russian Premier League between Sochi and Spartak was unlikely to attract anything else, except for the question of whether the Red-Whites will continue to chase the leading Zenit in the standings. Compared to last season, the Sochi team perform much worse, so Spartak, which is on the second line, was not in doubt as a favorite.
And the Moscow team began to prove its superiority very quickly. However, the starting fuse of the “red-whites” quickly faded away …
Boredom after a brisk start
Already in the 8th minute of the meeting, the game was full of colors: Spartak started an attack on the right flank, Daniil Denisov hung on the goalkeeper, and Quincy Promes, ahead of Sochi defender Timofey Margasov, headed the ball into the net! The 13th goal of the Dutchman in the current RPL season – the league’s top scorer strengthened his leadership.
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After the goal was scored, the game until the very end of the first half took on a rather burdensome character, and the Sochi team was ahead in terms of the danger of moments. Spartak could stand out only by a strange decision by forward Alexander Sobolev.
The striker, who had already received a yellow card for rough play, hit Artur Yusupov with his elbow on the head while fighting for the ball. Such a game could also lead to a removal, but the chief referee of the meeting, Artem Chistyakov, did not punish Sobolev, even though Yusupov remained lying on the lawn, and then was examined by a medical team.
A similar development of events in the form of a decline in the game of the “red-whites” led to the expected result – in the 44th minute, the attack of “Sochi” ended in a goal. Joaozinho shot from the left flank into the penalty area, and the ball bounced off Daniil Khlusevich towards Kirill Zaika, who equalized the score.
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We can only single out an episode in the 52nd minute, when Selikhov dragged Joaoozinho’s dangerous shot out of the penalty area! After a blunder by Danil Prutsev, the Sochi team took possession of the ball: Melkadze made a cross from the right flank, Sarveli missed the ball, and Joaozinho fired hard on target – Selikhov did it.
As a result, the “red-whites” failed to confirm the status of a zealous pursuer of “Zenith” and lost much-needed points, showing one of the weakest games of the season. Probably, after a quick goal, Spartak hoped for an easy walk, but Sochi managed to impose its game on the opponent, which Spartak was simply not ready for.
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