CSKA is not sinking in Baltika

In the return match of the Fonbet Russian Cup semi-final, CSKA again defeated Baltika – 2:0. The current holder of the trophy became the first finalist in the play-off bracket for clubs following the “Path of the Russian Premier League”. Kaliningraders, using a double-elimination system, received another chance to reach the main final through the “Path of Regions”.

Having won, albeit with a minimal score, in Kaliningrad, CSKA, it would seem, could feel absolutely calm before the return match on their home field. And initially, no one really doubted its superiority over Baltika. However, recent events have forced us to look at this cup confrontation in a completely different way. Even with all the incorrectness of comparing matches in different tournaments and with different opponents, the Baltic team’s super-major victory over Akhmat – 7:1, which they won within the championship, indicated that peace could only be a dream for the army team.

Sergei Ignashevich’s team is gradually starting to come together and is transforming after a radical personnel restructuring in the winter transfer window.

True, for the second game with CSKA, the head coach of the Kaliningrad team still fielded a far from optimal lineup. Although the hero of the match with Akhmat, Alex Fernandez, who scored a hat-trick and immediately attracted close attention, found a place in the “start”. Almost all of CSKA’s main players took to the field. Except that Kelven and Victor Davila remained in reserve, and goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev is traditionally replaced in the Russian Cup by Vladislav Torop.

Even when not at their best, Baltika moved the ball well and looked at least as good as the hosts. She needed to win back, and she tried to attack, but these attacks did not reach Torop. But CSKA forward Fedor Chalov tested the readiness of visiting goalkeeper Maxim Borisko in the middle of the first half when he gracefully dealt with defender Nikola Radmanovac. He was ready. Then Chalov could have distinguished himself as an assistant, but gave a slightly inaccurate pass to Ivan Oblyakov, who was already falling into the goal in splendid isolation. In the end, he scored from a penalty awarded for handball by Alexander Osipov while trying to block Milan Gajich’s header.

Moreover, Baltika immediately conceded another goal. Again the army team entered the penalty area through the left flank, where Ilya Agapov dominated.

Chalov crossed for Gayich, and even though Roberto Fernandez managed to cover the Serb, the omnipresent Abbosbek Faizullaev picked up the ball and irresistibly shot at second pace. So in a couple of minutes the Muscovites had already finally decided the outcome of the semi-final. The Kaliningraders did not have such resources to eliminate the three-goal difference on aggregate between two matches with CSKA. However, they did not risk anything and had the right to lose, since they did not fly out of the Cup, but only moved from the top of the tournament bracket to the bottom. In addition, the Baltics now, apparently, are still more focused on the fight for survival in the Premier League.

In the second half, the teams simply played football, but even so, the guests lacked the class to create scoring chances, and the hosts, apparently, simply did not want to break down and limited themselves to keeping the situation under control. Rather, the young and hot army player Matvey Lukin, who came on as a substitute, could have broken Maxim Kuzmin in a tough spot, earning the only yellow card in this meeting. Moreover, probably Anton Zabolotny, who has recently been losing competition in the center forward position to Tamerlan Musaev, was motivated and motivated to score. But Chalov seemed to have completely relaxed and in the end missed from a killer position after Kelven laid the ball out for him on a silver platter.

Just before the final whistle, Torop finally made a save when Dmitry Rybchinsky shot from outside the penalty area. The match ended like that – 2:0. For the second year in a row, CSKA reached the final of the Russian Cup along the “RPL Path”, where it will meet the winner of the Zenit-Spartak pair. “Baltika” will now continue to perform at the second semi-final stage of the “Path of Regions”.

Alexander Ilyin