Lokomotiv 2:2 (3:1 – on penalties) Krasnodar played at the Russian Cup

Fonbet Cup of Russia. Group A. Cherkizovo. Lokomotiv 2:2 (3:1 – on penalties) Krasnodar. Goals: Camano – 6′, Litvinov – 12′, Cordoba – 20′, Kirk – 58′.

Either Zivert, who played as the opening act of the match and performed a symbolic first kick on the ball, or rainy weather, or just luck, which is most likely – but Lokomotiv finally won, albeit in the Cup, albeit on its own field , albeit in a penalty shoot-out. According to the regulations of the Cup, there can be no draws, and the penalty kicks break through.

Lokomotiv brought three defeats in three matches to the Russian Cup game, including the loss to Nizhny Novgorod in the 1st round of the group stage, the second most important RFU tournament.

But the hosts started over actively: Francois Camano opened the scoring of the meeting, gracefully sending the ball into the net of Matvey Safonov’s goal. But “the music didn’t play for long.” Literally five minutes later, Litvinov’s efforts equalized the score. And even Daniil Khudyakov could not help out. The blow from Krasnodar was tight, clear and timely.

And then the railroad either fell asleep, or decided to play on penalties, or that was the installation. Efforts seemed to be applied, but it was of little use. And in those moments when it came to a shot on target, Safonov came to the rescue.

But the southerners did not miss their. Artem Karpukas and Pedro (that’s how the club asks to call him) left one Alexei Ionov on the left flank, who made a pass. John Cordoba didn’t even have to put in extra effort. He jumped out without interference and sent a football projectile into the hosts’ net. Stanislav Magkeev at that time was definitely “watching football”, which is why he was replaced after the break.

Krasnodar could go to the “tea party” with a big advantage. But Lokomotiv got lucky for the first time here: after Khudyakov’s release, Cordoba pushed the ball forward with his hand, so the goal was canceled.

The ex-defender of the Urals, Ivan Kuzmichev, who entered the second half, made his debut for the red-greens. “Kashi” did not spoil, but he did not jump “over his head” either. But who tried, so it’s Safonov: a couple of times he just rescued Krasnodar.

In the 57th minute, Loko got lucky for the second time: Francois Camano redirected the ball to the left side, Pedro gracefully bypassed the “asleep” Sergei Volkov and shot into the goalkeeper’s area. And there Kirk was already waiting for the ball, which only had to substitute his foot.

Both coaches made four substitutions, but no one achieved victory. The post-match penalty shoot-out is Lokomotiv’s main luck. At first, everything went as expected: Christian Ramirez scored against Krasnodar, and Girano Kerk scored against Lokomotiv. But then Daniil Khudyakov entered the game, at first he parried Yegor Sorokin’s blow with skill. And after Pedro scored for the hosts, the decisive moment of the meeting came. What he thought about and most importantly – where Nikita Krivtsov hit, even experts from “What? Where? When?”. The ball sent by Krasnodar would not even hit the rugby goal. And this is the highest league of domestic football …

And then it’s a matter of technology. Ivan Ignatiev turned his job into the “five”, and the best player of the match, Loko goalkeeper Daniil Khudyakov, easily coped with Ilzat Akhmetov’s shot.

At the post-match press conference, the head coach of the southerners, Alexander Storozhuk, answered two questions from the correspondent of our publication a little nervously and very briefly: “Who appointed the players who punched the penalty? I appointed. What was missing to score more goals? Specific episodes where you could reveal yourself better, skill.

I also had two questions for the coach of the winners. The first is about Josef Zinnbauer’s willingness to “share his salary with Khudyakov.” The answer of the German specialist was twofold: “I guess this is a joking question. If you try to answer in a sporty way, then I am very glad that we have such a good young goalkeeper in our team who plays reliably in such big matches … Khudyakov played superbly today, pulled out two penalties.

The second question concerned the slogan that was chanted at the stadium for almost the entire match: “Do you translate what exactly the fans are chanting?” Here the answer was philosophical: “I can say that such a situation with fans is not only in Russia, it happens in Europe and all over the world. In a way, I understand our fans who want more success for the team, just like us, the coaching staff. They thereby show their indifference to the team. This is the desire, what they would like to see the team. And I hear it not only at the stadium, but also when we get off the bus, for example, on the streets. For our part, as the coaching staff, we also want our team to play well. I have a long coaching career, I have worked in many countries. Therefore, I try to use the experience that I have as much as possible and share it with my guys, help in development, so that each player improves, so that everyone takes a step forward.

Already this Sunday, the derby in the RPL: ​​Spartak – Lokomotiv in Tushino. So let’s see what the railway workers are capable of with the German headquarters in the match with the red and white?

Vladimir Sabadash.

Photo of the author.