Unqualified judging

After the introduction of Fan ID (does not apply to the Cup), there is one more problem in Russian football. The first place by a wide margin is occupied by refereeing. So in the first match of the so-called “final” (there will also be a Superfinal in Luzhniki – such is the regulation now) at the Cskov arena, the chief referee Kirill Levnikov and his fellow Varovites Vitaly Meshkov and Igor Demeshko committed at least two dubious actions – both goals were crammed under strange judicial circumstances.

Cup of Russia. Final (Way RPL). Moscow. CSKA – Ural 1:1 (0:0). Goals: Medina, 88 – Bicfalvi, 70.

The half-empty stands (well, at least CSKA invited children to the game, which they even chanted) became witnesses of not very bright, little attacking and even less productive football.

Vladimir Fedotov returned to Carrascal and sent Oblyakov to the left. But the extra player in CSKA’s attack had no effect on the scoreboard. For the entire match, the army team shot at Ilya Pomazun’s goal a number of times. Wards of Viktor Gancharenko (this is how the Belarusian specialist asks to write his last name – through “a” after “g”) also did not bother creating scoring chances. Almost the only shot on target by Igor Akinfeev led to a goal for Ural.

The first and last intelligible football masterpiece from the Colombian Carrascal – a heel pass – that’s all that the army legionnaire was honored with. And the Uralian Kashtanov played the role of “Dzyuba” not so much, or rather – for a C grade. Yes, and Bikfalvi did not differ in aggression and scoring chances – in the first half, that’s for sure.

CSKA differed only in martial arts won and rebounds, but without shots on goal, you can’t write a goal on the score sheet. At the very least, the army team hit Pomazun (on loan from CSKA) several times on target (Moises from a free kick, for example), but the Yekaterinburgers never did. With that, they parted ways for tea.

After the break, the army trio Carrascal – Chalov – Zabolotny, as in the first segment of the match, did not show anything. But “Ural” through the efforts of Bikfalvi and Kashtanov opened the score in the middle of the second half. Kashtanov distracted the defense of CSKA, and created a “hole” in the defense of the army Mishkic from Bikfalvi. Croat robbed Mendez in the center of the field and delivered a football projectile to the army penalty area. And there, the Romanian threw a round on Egorychev, whose blow was parried by Akinfeev. It was not difficult for Bikfalvi to send the ball into the net when finishing.

Here VAR intervened for the first time, but the referee Levnikov counted the goal, despite increased pressure from army players and the coaching bench. Perhaps Mishkic did not break the rules, simultaneously hitting both the ball and Mendez’s leg. The key word here is “maybe”.

In order to somehow “wake up” his wards, Fedotov removes Carrascal and Chalov from the field, and sends Oblyakov to the attack group. CSKA pressed, “Ural” fought back, Zabolotny fell. And on the second attempt in one minute earned a penalty. Either Emmerson’s “hugs” in the second case were less tender, or the judge “floated”. But after watching the “TV” for a very long time, Levnikov pointed to the dot. The center forward of CSKA can definitely perform in the theater – he portrayed everything very picturesquely, and the judges bought it. Medina outplayed Pomazun from 11 meters.

And already in stoppage time, the Uralian Beveev cleared the ball from the ribbon of his own goal after a red-blue corner. A draw is definitely a fair result of the first match of a two-round confrontation.

The fate of a ticket to the Superfinal will be decided on May 2 in Yekaterinburg. It will be laughter if Akron and Ural play at Luzhniki on June 11. With such a set of finalists, the RFU will definitely need to cancel the “fan ID” for the game, otherwise one and a half thousand (at best) spectators will come to the main stadium of the 2018 World Cup.

Vladimir Sabadash.

Photo by Ekaterina Konkina