FC Krasnodar won the first victory in the new year, FC Sochi lost in the first match in the Emirates

They hit a lot, but only scored from the penalty spot

Last week, the “bulls” completed the first training camp. The finale of the last day in Dubai was a friendly game with Tashkent “Bunyodkor”.

Krasnodar immediately began to take the initiative on the field. The opponent did not resist this – dutifully accepted his role to play the second number. The “Bulls” needed this and needed it in order to work out the possibilities of their attacking football. The team of Vladimir Ivic focused on playing on the flanks, from there the ball flew into the center. After, which is logical, there were shots on goal.

Especially active in the first half of the meeting was Eduard Spertsyan. The midfielder played on the left flank and participated in most of the draws. The player, who is rumored to be interested in football clubs in Italy, the Netherlands and Germany, gave aggravating passes, tried to attack at every opportunity. The “Bulls” showed combinational football, but did not shun long-range shots. In the last component of the game, Olakunle Olusegun and John Cordoba were especially hard at work. All these efforts did not bring results. But the goal against Bunyodkor happened. At the thirteenth minute of the match, Cordoba ran to the goalkeeper with the ball, the goalkeeper committed a “foul of last resort.” The penalty was successfully converted by Spertsyan. Then the “townspeople” continued to attack. They managed to create many chances. But it didn’t work out to score.

After the break, the game has not changed its character. Krasnodar had the initiative, created a lot, but could not score a goal. Olusegun especially tried. The Nigerian obviously wanted to excel in this meeting, but he could not take credit for the goal. Perhaps one of the most dangerous moments was the eighteen-year-old striker Alexander Koksharov. Pupil of the “bulls” spectacularly shot on goal, but hit the post. At the very end of the match, he again hit with a long-range strike, but missed. The match ended with a minimal victory for Krasnodar.

After the game, Ivic gave his first interview as the head coach of the Black and Greens. The specialist admitted that he could lead Krasnodar even earlier. He believes that moving to Russia from Israel is a step forward for him.

“We have some very good players. Some are now out of the cage due to injuries, and with the rest we have been working for the last ten days. We have completed the first stage of preparation – its basic part. Pay attention to the style of play in attack and defense. It cannot be said that we saw many high-quality moments in the game with Bunyodkor, but this is absolutely normal for this period of preparation. We tried to give everyone playing time to understand what to expect from them. We will continue to do this during the training camp so that the guys can prove themselves, and we can find out if they understand our requirements. And of course, we will move forward,” said Vladimir Ivich.

After a couple of days off, the Bulls continued their pre-season training. They moved to Abu Dhabi, where they are still training: they are working on technique, coordination and possession of the ball. At the second training camp, they will take part in the Winter Cup of the Russian Premier League. The first game will take place on the third of February – against Sochi, in three days there will be a duel with Spartak Moscow, on February 11 – with Rostov. The camp will end on February 14, after which the team will return to Krasnodar.

It became known about the agreement of the “bulls” on the transition to the Tula “Arsenal” striker Irakli Manelov. The Citizens’ pupil will play there until the end of the 2022/23 season. For the main team of “black-green” Manelov played 25 matches, scored one goal and made one assist. At Arsenal, the player will play under the leadership of Alexander Storozhuk, who moved there after being fired from Krasnodar.

Fan ID is inevitable

In the meantime, the fans’ identification system was tested at the bulls’ stadium. The event was attended by the Minister of Physical Culture and Sports of the Krasnodar Territory Serafim Timchenko, representatives of the Ministry of Sports of the country, the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of Russia, employees of the Federal Security Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Rostelecom.

The essence of the test was that more than two hundred extras and sixty employees of the control and administrative service played the role of fans. Data was exchanged between the arena’s access control system and the identification system, various scenarios of events were played out. As a result, it was established that the stadium is ready to host matches of the Russian Premier League.

— Now each fan must have a personalized card. The person present at the stadium will be identified, and in case of committing illegal acts, it will be easy to identify him. There are ambiguous opinions regarding this introduction, but I urge everyone to delve into the essence. The atmosphere of sports events is always full of emotions, and this measure will allow you to enjoy the match without worrying about safety. Test events on the use of cards have already been passed, the system is working, sports fans should not have problems with Fan ID. You need to get a passport in advance to avoid a queue and a spoiled mood,” said Serafim Timchenko.

Fan ID first appeared in Russia before the 2014 Olympics. From July 4 to December 1, 2022, the purchase of tickets for competitions and admission to football was carried out with the obligatory use of the card in Sochi, Samara, Rostov-on-Don, Yekaterinburg and Nizhny Novgorod. Now you need to have a personalized card to attend all the games of the Russian Premier League football. In the Krasnodar Territory, the first such match will be held on March 1 as part of the Russian Cup. Krasnodar will host CSKA. An application for a Fan ID to attend games can be submitted on the public services portal, or you can contact the department of the multifunctional center.

In the Emirates, they only let you through

Sochi, after the end of the first training camp, which took place in Adler, gave the players two days to rest. On January 25, the team went to the second stage of training in Abu Dhabi. 29 Bars players went to the capital of the United Arab Emirates, including three players from the Sochi youth team: goalkeeper Vladislav Dolzhenko, defender Artur Kuskov and forward Zakhar Fedorov.

The first friendly meeting of the Sochi residents in the Emirates was held against the capital’s Lokomotiv. At the start of the “leopards” Denis Adamov stood at the gate. Moussa Sissako, Vanja Drkusic and Ivan Miladinovic acted in defense. Along the edges – Sergey Terekhov and Kirill Zaika. Ahead – Christian Noboa, Ibragim Tsallagov, Artur Yusupov and Joaozinho. On the edge – Georgy Melkadze.

From the first minutes of the meeting, the teams began to fight for the initiative, to attack. This confrontation remained with the Muscovites. By the middle of the first half, Sochi began to act more densely in their own half of the field. As a result, it was difficult for Lokomotiv to get close to the gates of the southerners. Midfielder “railroad” Anton Miranchuk tried to bring Camano one on one with Adamov, but the goalkeeper saved the team.

A quarter of an hour before the break, Zaika closed Terekhov’s cross, but the ball flew over the gate. Sochi began to create chances more often, in the 37th minute, Terekhov, having reached the Lokomotiv penalty area, fired powerfully along it, Noboa closed the pass with one touch, but the ball flew close to the post. After drawing a corner, Sissako had the opportunity to score, receiving the ball in the center of the penalty area, but this time the projectile flew above the gate.

In the second half, Kurban Berdyev replaced all eleven players. Soslan Dzhanaev stood at the gate. Igor Yurganov, Artem Meshchaninov, Timofey Margasov and Artem Makarchuk came out on defense. Daniil Martovoy, Amir Batyrev, Kirill Kravtsov and Nikita Burmistrov acted ahead. On the edge – Vladislav Sarveli and Zakhar Fedorov. In the 66th minute, midfielder Mikhail Shchetinin accurately shot into the far corner of Sochi – 1: 0. The southerners tried to win back, organized counterattacks, but Ilya Lantratov was able to leave his goal intact. But for Loko, Vadim Rakov managed to score the second goal. The ball flew into the goal after a well-organized attack. The striker was left one on one with the goalkeeper and hit almost point-blank.

In addition to the match with Krasnodar on February 3, Sochi will play against Rostov on February 6, as well as on February 10 with Spartak in the Winter Cup of the Russian Premier League.