Tiknizyan’s new role. The replacement of Mikhail Galaktionov brought victory to Lokomotiv

Lokomotiv and Ural approached the match in the first round of the group stage of the RPL path of the Russian Cup in a different frame of mind. The teams’ initial matches in the new national league were very different. Yekaterinburgers in many ways unexpectedly beat last season’s silver medalist – CSKA from the capital – and were determined to make a successful start in the second most prestigious national club tournament, upsetting another team from Moscow. In turn, the “railway” with great difficulty escaped in the game with “Rubin” – and the quality of football shown by Mikhail Galaktionov’s team in this match, there were many questions. So the home team had something to prove in the upcoming match.

Memory of a teacher

Before the fight kicked off, spectators at RZD Arena were treated to heart-pounding action. For the Petrozavodsk referee team – Artur Fedorov, Dmitry Semyonov and Rustam Mukhtarov – this was the first match at the highest level of Russian football. Referees came to the match with T-shirts dedicated to the man who did everything possible for his countrymen to reach this peak. FIFA referee Vladimir Pettai died in a horrific plane crash in 2011, but his students remember who gave them a ticket to big football. And they could not fail to honor his memory on such an important day for them.

Shadow of Ruby

Already from the first seconds of the match, Lokomotiv fans could get the impression that the previous opponent, Rubin Kazan, did not seem to have left Moscow. “Ural” also immediately took control of the ball, getting an early goal. The guests’ multi-way combination, which began after throwing the ball from outside, ended with a well-balanced cross from Kiki on Ayupov and an accurate shot from one of the protagonists of the Ural match against CSKA. Timur is gradually becoming the new leader of the Yekaterinburg attacks – and this fact cannot but please the coach of the team Viktor Goncharenko, who is faced with serious personnel losses.

Subsequently, Lokomotiv recovered for a long time, not knowing what to do with the ball and with his own nerves. Ural exploited this skillfully – and at various moments the guests only lacked the last pass to double the lead.

At the same time, the Lokomotiv fans did not lose heart and continued to carry on their team as if nothing had happened. And gradually the red-green managed to draw the match, and after half an hour the situation began to systematically escalate at the gates of Ilya Pomazun. Isidor fell face to face with the Ural goalkeeper, failed to score, but corrected himself in the next attack.

Miranchuk’s cross turned into a goal, despite the efforts of the guests’ defender, who struggled to keep the tenth number of the “railway”. Ilya Pomazun also played not very well in this episode, who can also be credited as an indirect co-author of this goal.

Subsequently, the course of the game turned 180 degrees. Now Lokomotiv stormed the Ural gates, and the guests tried to resist with great difficulty. However, the score before the break has not changed since. Fedorov’s whistle sent the teams to the locker room with a draw on the scoreboard.

Cold shower

“Soviet sport”

During the break, both coaches made two substitutions. And the permutations performed by Mikhail Galaktionov were the first to work, and very quickly. Isidor carved out a chic passage to the cool Tiknizyan and shot point blank at the gates of Pomazun. For the second time this season, the nominal defender saves his team by scoring the most important goal. Subsequently, Ural, as expected, got even more nervous, which resulted in Ayupov receiving a yellow card. Viktor Goncharenko urgently needed to change something and sent Mishkic and Ishkov onto the field. Galaktionov immediately responded by releasing Artyom Dzyuba and Konstantin Maradishvili. “Ural” tried to add, but it can be very difficult to keep up with the departing train. The visitors created chances, Lokomotiv saved Lantratov several times, and when Egorychev missed the corner of the goal from a lethal position, it was time for the home fans to grab their hearts. However, Mikhail Galaktionov’s team survived, achieved a strong-willed victory – 2: 1 – and can safely call the start of the Cup of Russia successfully.