At the group stage of the Russian Cup, the poster could not have been brighter. Especially taking into account the previous results of the teams in the tournament: in the second round, Spartak and Dynamo fired, winning with a score of 5:4 and 4:3.

On Tuesday evening, another show was expected at the Otkritie Bank Arena, especially since the teams were not burdened with responsibility – both had the right to make a mistake. In the end, the performance really turned out to be epic, but the fans of only one club liked it.

The cup is a place for experiments

For Guillermo Abascal, who has proven himself to be a big fan of experiments with the composition, cup meetings are a real expanse. In this sense, the Spaniard did not deny himself anything this time either.

Alexander Maksimenko returned to the gate after a long pause. Serbian newcomer Srjan Babić was presented in the center of defense, who was paired with Nikita Chernov, who this season plays exclusively in the Cup. The three midfielders were the most unusual for the summer of 2023 and included only the Russians: Prutsev, Litvinov and Ignatov. As a result, the actions of this trio largely determined the outcome of the game. Sobolev’s company in the attack this time was Zinkovsky and Medina.

Dynamo has also undergone significant changes compared to the league matches. Marcel Licka left both newcomers-Latins in stock: Carrascal and Chavez. I did not include Tyukavin in the application at all. But he gave Leshchuk, who replaced Shunin at the gate, Kutitsky, the central midfielder Gagnidze, as well as the attacking group in the person of Gladyshev, Lesovoy and Grulev, the opportunity to prove himself.

4:0 by the middle of the half

Spartacus after a series of failures in the championship went to the match with an outrageous attitude. Guests were clearly not ready for such pressure. In the first 10 minutes alone, Abascal’s team created four killer chances, taking advantage of the confusion in the opposition’s defense. Only the first chance was realized: Sobolev effectively closed Denisov’s excellent canopy from the flank.

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In the episode with the goal, Kutitsky played not in the best way, who almost brought the second ball into the Dynamo goal in a couple of minutes. Dynamo forgave Khlusevich, who allowed Leshchuk to be a hero. Later, the goalkeeper pulled a dangerous shot from Sobolev, and Ignatov simply missed the target from a lethal position.

Dynamo in the first minutes looked like a boxer pressed to the ropes, dreaming of a saving gong. But there was still plenty of time before the break. Lichka also did not have the opportunity to throw out the white towel and had to watch the beating of his team.

Spartak continued to climb forward after a series of missed chances and soon doubled the lead. Zinkovsky earned a dangerous free kick, and Medina hung exactly in the head of another newcomer – Babich.

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Soon, Zinkovsky himself first acted as an assistant, shooting at Sobolev.

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And then he scored a goal, taking advantage of another failure of the Dynamo defense. 0:4 by the 24th minute looked like a verdict for Dynamo, and unpleasant flashbacks from last year’s 0:8 in St. Petersburg probably flashed in Lichka’s head.

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The coach of the guests reacted to the starting failure by super-early substitutions of the failed Kutitsky and the inconspicuous Gladyshev, instead of which the main players appeared – Marichal and Ngamale. This helped to contain the “red-white” avalanche, although Spartak no longer rushed forward with the same frenzy.

Trying to save face

In the second half, Dynamo had to fight only to save face, but Spartak was unexpectedly good not only in attack, but also at their own gates. The hosts skillfully covered all the zones and felt confident when playing as the second number. In this situation, Dynamo needed fresh blood, which Lichka splashed in the 62nd minute, immediately releasing a Latin American trio consisting of Lascalt, Chavez and Carrascal.

After that, Dynamo very quickly managed to win back one goal thanks to Ngamale’s individual actions.

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There was still no talk of a full-fledged comeback. Spartak allowed the opponent to play the ball in their own half of the field, but there were no chances at the Maksimenko goal. The match gradually moved to the stage of playing out, where the only intrigue was whether Dynamo would be able to avoid defeat. As a result, the guests failed to score on the second goal.

“Spartak” continues to go in the Russian Cup without losses and almost guaranteed itself a way out of the group. On September 19, in the fourth round, the Red-Whites will play away with PARI NN, while Dynamo will go to Krasnodar.