The meeting ended with a victory for the hosts with a score of 2:1. In the 4th minute, Mikhail Ignatov opened the scoring in the match. After 11 minutes, Quincy Promes doubled the Muscovites’ lead. In the 81st minute, Maxim Osipenko pulled back a goal from the penalty spot.
The guests started the match with great pressure. But Spartak, without any particular difficulties, controlled the ball, found free space and used it. Karpin’s team could not keep up with the pace of the hosts. And from the 4th minute it led to a result. Mikhail Ignatov received a pass from Promes, placed the ball under his right and shot low. Pesyakov could not reach the ball.
A few minutes later, the visitors had the opportunity to equalize. Maksimenko made an unsuccessful pass under pressure, but striker Golenkov forgave such an oversight by mishandling the ball. And now Rostov, under pressure, made a mistake. Ignatov managed to intercept Pesyakov’s pass and on the second attempt returned the debt to Promes. The Dutchman did not disappoint. After conceding the second goal, Rostov was able to take the lead. The guests were able to strike the first blow only midway through the first half.
During the break, Karpin made a triple substitution. And that helped a little. Spartak fell a little lower, and the guests periodically caught air in the opponent’s penalty area. Another such cross ended with a dangerous blow from Komlichenko, but was unsuccessful. Statistically, the hosts were better, but there was another cross. Komlichenko shot and hit Litvinov’s hand. The referee, after reviewing the VAR, awarded a penalty. Osipenko approached the penalty spot. The defender sent the ball to the right corner.
The intrigue returned and “Rostov” began to put pressure. The hosts, on the contrary, failed to attack. And Sobolev, entering the field, did not change the situation. The Red and Whites failed to score a single shot on target in the second half. As a result, Rostov dominated the hosts in shots (14-11) and shots on target (6:3), but failed to turn the match into at least a draw.
“I want to congratulate the guys. They did well, they deserved the victory. But we should be angry with ourselves. We should have scored more goals in the first half. We should have had more ambition and desire to increase the score. If we had been hungry enough, the last ten minutes would not have been nervous,” Abascal said of the victory.
“We did not play in the first half, Rostov was not on the field. With such a match, even in Rostov, they could not have won. Only in the second half did they showed something. “There is no unhappy 5-20 minute period. The whole first half is a disaster. I think I’ll tell the team why,” Karpin commented on Rostov’s defeat.
After winning, Spartak scored 24 points and finished the first round in 6th place in the Russian Championship standings. Rostov, with 17 points, occupies 11th place.
Yahya Hasanov, Athletistic
Source: Sport
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