While the “bulls” are swinging, the “leopards” are realizing their chances

There is still a lot of work

Krasnodar has officially started 2023. On a visit to CSKA, the “citizens” played the first match of the one-fourth final of the Russian Cup. This meeting was the debut of the “bulls” under the leadership of the Serbian specialist Vladimir Ivic. Could Citizens fans expect that after the winter break the team will solve the problems of the current season and show a bright game? The qualification of the new coach and friendly matches gave such hope. But the miracle didn’t happen.

From the very first minutes, Krasnodar looked faded. CSKA immediately took the initiative into their own hands and began to regularly create dangerous moments. Fedor Chalov acted especially well as part of the opponent. After his passes, Victor Mendez and Jorge Carrascal had moments. It seemed that from such pressure “Krasnodar” was lost on the field. The first scoring chance for the “citizens” happened only in the seventh minute of the match, but the chance turned out to be almost one hundred percent. First, Kadi Borges crossed from a corner to the far post, where Junior Alonso fought, making a discount to the goalkeeper. Here Kevin Lenini struck his head at close range a couple of meters from the gate. If not for Konstantin Kuchaev, who stood in the way with his chest, Krasnodar celebrated the goal.

The hosts did not squander moments like that, which predetermined their success. In the tenth minute of the match, Jesus Medina crossed from a corner into the penalty area, where Willian Rocha made a discount in the goalkeeper’s area, here Moises sent the ball in opposition to Matvey Safonov with his head – 1: 0. Initially, the goal was not counted, the referee Pavel Kukuyan considered that the Brazilian was in position “out of the game”, but the video replay resolved all disputes. Moises was saved from offside by the foot of Christian Ramirez.

After the first goal, the game calmed down a bit. Both teams were active, creating chances, however, there were not so many of them. CSKA played more dangerously, and over time, its pressure only increased. At one of the moments of the first half, the army team claimed a penalty, but Kukuyan quickly figured out this situation, there was no violation. Safonov’s work only increased. Krasnodar looked helpless in this situation.

A goal against the “bulls” suggested itself, and it happened in the thirtieth minute. Carrascal otpasoval on the left flank, Medina reached the front line, hung in the goalkeeper’s area, Chalov closed this pass with his head. Fedor was able to score a goal freely, no one interfered with him.

It would seem that two goals conceded should have changed the game of Krasnodar. But that did not happen. Ivic for some reason did not make changes to the composition. The Serb made his first substitution in the seventieth minute of the match. “Krasnodar” went out. Chalov immediately after his first goal could score two more times, in both situations Safonov saved. The fact that the CSKA attacker was able to bring the ball to the goal was the fault of the defense of the “bulls”. She obviously made a lot of mistakes in this match.

To say that Krasnodar did not try to rectify the situation at all would be unfair. At the end of the first half, the “bulls” seemed to even start to take the initiative from the opponent, but the guests did not manage to completely dominate. CSKA was head and shoulders above. Right before the whistle for the break, Medina ran one on one with Safonov. If not for the rescue of the goalkeeper, the teams would have started the second half with a score of 3: 0.

The remaining half of the match was a continuation of the first. CSKA had the initiative and created dangerous chances. In the 59th minute, Alonso brought down Medina in the penalty area. Kukuyan appointed a penalty immediately, then watched the video replay and confirmed his decision. Carrascal volunteered to beat. The Colombian struck powerfully, but hit the crossbar.

After that, Carrascal could score more. The midfielder ambushed Safonov’s unsuccessful pass, shot through the empty net, but the captain again saved his team.

“Bulls” sincerely tried something to oppose such a situation. But in attack they had problems with implementation. For example, John Cordoba could easily score a goal, but shot unsuccessfully. CSKA converted their chances again. In the 86th minute of the match, Milan Gaich intercepted a cross pass from Mikhailo Banyats, immediately passed to the Krasnodar penalty area, where Anton Zabolotny accurately shot under the far post – 3: 0.

After the game, Ivic, of course, criticized his wards, although he hinted that the reason for the defeat was solely the mistakes of his team, and not the opponent’s game. The actions of the “bulls” left a depressing impression. Of course, on February 28, the “black-and-greens” had a chance to rehabilitate themselves: they hosted the army team in the second leg (at the time of this writing, the game had not yet taken place). Even if Ivic’s team loses, it does not fly out of the tournament, but moves from the upper bracket to the lower one. But the coach obviously needs to do a lot of work on the team’s game.

Defeated all

Barça, meanwhile, continued their training camp in Turkey. After winning a friendly game with Fakel, the team of Kurban Berdyev met with the representative of the first league – Togliatti Akron. In this meeting, “holidays” dominated in all components. The attackers hit a lot, not everything flew into the goal, nevertheless, the score of the match turned out to be big. The first goal against Akron happened in the 46th minute of the meeting. Substitute Luka Djordjevic earned a penalty and converted it himself. At the 53rd minute, the Montenegrin scored a double. After a solo pass, during which the striker beat several Akron defenders, the ball flew into the near corner of the goal. Georgy Melkadze, a couple of minutes after Nikita Burmistrov’s pass, also beat the opponent’s defense and rolled the ball into the near corner. In the 67th minute Togliatti earned a penalty kick. Denis Adamov guessed the direction of the blow, but could not reflect it – 3: 1.

On the last day of the training camp, Sochi played two matches. First, the rivals of the “leopards” were “Khimki”. A lot of Sochi youth took part in this game. The southerners scored their first goal in the 22nd minute. After beating the goalkeeper, Joaozinho sent a pass to Shodibek Sharipov, who scored the ball into an empty net. Further, the southerners created many dangerous blows. Kirill Kravtsov received a second yellow card in the 75th minute. And in the 88th minute, Zakhar Fedorov scored the second goal, which put an end to the match.

The final friendly match of this camp was a duel against another representative of the first league – Baltika. In this game, Soslan Dzhanaev got into the goal. Sergei Terekhov, Vanya Drkusic and Timofey Margasov came out on defense. Along the edges – Artem Makarchuk and Kirill Zaika. Ibragim Tsallagov and Christian Noboa acted in the support zone. Ahead – Artur Yusupov and Djordjevic. On the edge – Georgy Melkadze.

From the first minutes of the match, the Kaliningraders seized the initiative, began to act from the position of the first number. Then the game became double-edged. Both teams created dangerous chances at the opponent’s goal. Sometimes the fight took place, as they say, without the middle of the field. Djordjevic and Noboa had good moments. Sochi’s defense was reliable.

The goal was scored in the sixtieth minute of the match. Noboa shot from a free-kick, the goalkeeper of Baltika did not fix the ball after the kick, finished Djordjevic. This goal was the only one in the match. Sochi won all four matches of the third training camp. True, almost all rivals were a class below the “holidays”. The first official match of this year “leopards” will hold on the fifth of March. At the Fisht stadium, they will host CSKA in the eighteenth round of the Russian Premier League.