Krasnodar staged a bullfight in Moscow. The Russian Premier League is back with a bomb game

The Russian football season has officially begun. Our beloved league is back on the big screen to the delight of millions of fans across the country. In the first match of the season, two contenders for medals met – Dynamo and Krasnodar.

In the off-season, the “bulls” did not particularly shine. The team was systematically preparing for the season, licking the wounds sustained in the last game of the Russian Cup. Dynamo, in turn, was busy looking for a new coach. As a result, he became a former coach of “Orenburg” – Marcellus Lichka. Yes, the specialist isn’t the most eminent, but he’s done a good job with a modest squad by RPL standards.

Also in the transfer market both clubs were not very active. The only thing that can be highlighted is the return of defender Fabian Balbuena to Moscow. The Paraguayan suspended his contract with the blue-and-whites and last year he defended the colors of the Brazilian Corinthians. Surprising was not only the return of the Latin American, but also the fact that it was he who led the team with the captain’s armband in the first leg. To say this decision has been criticized is an understatement.

Lichka instills its culture

From the very first minutes of the match it was clear that Dynamo’s style had changed. Instead of the defensive and waiting way of playing Jokanovic, came the attacking and combinatorial football of Lichka. The Muscovites dictated their game to the guests for the first 20 minutes and remained very confident.

A pleasant discovery was the transfer of Fedor Smolov to the position of the pulled forward. Thus, the Czech specialist managed to field all the leaders of him. Tyukavin is on the edge, Smolov is under him and Zakharyan is in the center of midfield. But, as it turned out, that didn’t help the blue and white much.

lucky case

In the 27th minute, the “bulls” ran into a rare counterattack. It seemed that nothing boded trouble, but Cordoba’s crazy long-range shot turned out to be an assist. A powerful rebound came to the aid of the Southern team. From the players’ faces after the goal it was clear that they themselves were shocked by such a development of events.

Photo source: RIA Novosti

After 8 minutes, Krasnodar earned a corner. It didn’t take long to get ready for the standard. Spertsyan sent the ball to the 11-meter mark. There, a defender tried to knock him out, but, fortunately, hit Chernikov directly. The pupil of the “bulls” did not lose his head and shot on goal. Shunin was helpless, and the score on the scoreboard was 2-0 in favor of the southern team.

Shots on goal

The teams went to the break with the same score. Dynamo received serious food for thought, but after entering the field the changes were not for the better. The Bulls have completely taken control. From time to time there have been dangerous moments at Shunin’s gate, but their implementation has been depressing. In the 53rd minute Batchy uncovered his cannon, realized that the Dinamo goalkeeper had missed the goal and punished him for his slowness with a scored ball. The case was heading towards ruin.

However, the blue-and-whites were still able to gather their strength. It took the hosts about 10 minutes to build up a dangerous counter-attack. Tyukavin made a great run with the ball, found Smolov in the penalty area, who had already shot Safonov. The stands erupt in applause.

Russian football is back with us

At the end of the meeting Dynamo struggled to win back, however numerous attempts did not lead to any heightened danger. And Vladimir Ivic’s team was completely satisfied with the lineup. The players of “Krasnodar” frankly pulled off the finish. On the one hand, they can be blamed for this, but on the other – when your team goes to victory over a strong opponent, do you care if they drag the clock in the last minutes or not?

Photo source: FC Krasnodar

As a result, Krasnodar earned its first points this season and, to the delight of Sergei Galitsky, will take the first line in the standings at least for one day. But this is not the main thing, the main thing is that our football is back. There are still many brilliant encounters and exciting comparisons. One way or another, Dynamo and the Bulls set a good pace for the whole of the first round of the RPL.