CSKA Moscow beat Krasnodar in the Russian Cup superfinal on football. The match took place on Sunday at the Luzhniki stadium and ended with the victory of the army team in a penalty shootout.
Regular time of the meeting ended with the score 1:1. Krasnodar responded to an accurate shot by CSKA striker Fedor Chalov (32 minutes, penalty) with a goal from forward John Cordoba (50). In the penalty shoot-out series, CSKA players were more accurate — 6:5.
Football Cup of RussiaJune 11, 2023 • Start at 17:00End (L) content/uploads/2023/06/2d0f2afd333d11f361fd69f3f0942bdf.png» />CSKARussia
50' • John Cordoba (Christian Ramirez)
121' • Eduard Spertsyan (M)121' • Ilzat Akhmetov ( R)121' • John Cordoba (M)121' • Junior Alonso (M)121' • Christian Ramirez (M)
32' • Fedor Chalov (M)121' • Fedor Chalov (M)121' • Igor Diveev (M)121' • Milan Gajic (M)121' • Jesus Medina (M) 121' • Jorge Carrascal (M)121' • Anton Zabolotny (M)
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This is not Istanbul for you For the second year in a row, the final of the Russian Cup was held the day after the decisive match of the main European Cup — the Champions League. And this time the Russian Football Union (RFU) managed to organize a holiday no worse than in Istanbul. And in some respects, even better. Of course, holding such large events is associated with logistical problems and the specifics of ensuring security at the facilities. Thus, a number of fans complained about the long process of parking in front of Luzhniki, as well as the difficult operation of the access control and management system in the arena. But that certainly doesn't compare to the horrendous videos of the shuttle queues in front of the Atatürk Olympic Stadium, as well as the unreasonably high prices for water and food.
In order to get to the Istanbul final, it was not necessary to have a fan card. The admission system for matches in Russia has become one of the most discussed topics of the season. Although a fan card was not required for the Russian Cup games, in order to attend the decisive match in Luzhniki, it was still necessary to issue one. It cannot be said that this had a catastrophic effect on attendance — the Russian Cup superfinal was attended by 53,425 spectators, and this is a very worthy number for the past season.
It is worth noting that this year the problem with buying a ticket for the final of the tournament was almost leveled. The organizers sold them for a very affordable amount, in addition, a whole social program was launched to attract spectators to the stands. For example, some of the fans of all the teams participating in the draw, as well as those who came to the All-Russian Football Festival, which took place in Luzhniki the day before, could get free passes. This made it possible to adequately fill the stands of the country's largest arena. The law that made fan cards mandatory is unlikely to be repealed, so next season should show how leading sports and law enforcement agencies can harmonize the system with the interests of the average spectator.
But even a number of promotions and fairly low ticket prices have not eradicated the long-standing problem of Russian football — resellers. Before the start of the superfinal, they tried to sell their goods at a premium, offering potential buyers to provide their fan card numbers. Not everyone agreed to such a scheme — it is strictly not recommended to disclose individual data to unauthorized persons.
New format is a response to sanctionsIn the season ended, the Russian Cup was held according to a new formula, which was developed by the Russian Football Union (RFU) and approved by the clubs in response to sanctions against Russian football. The absence of European cups created a huge hole in the calendar, and the lack of match practice could be replaced either by creating a new tournament or by increasing the number of existing competitions. It was decided to take the second path — the number of games was increased by more than one and a half times, plus, even a loss did not deprive the team of a chance for a title.
Just this chip was used by Krasnodar, which lost the RPL way in the quarterfinals on the sum of two meetings of CSKA (0:3, 1:0). After that, the team of Vladimir Ivich dealt with the Grozny «Akhmat», «Rostov», Samara «Wings of the Soviets», Togliatti «Akron» and Yekaterinburg «Ural». «Over the past 15 years, we have not won serious trophies. It will not be an easy game, but we have seriously prepared,» Ivic stated, focusing on the lack of trophies in a team that has long become a formidable force in Russia.
CSKA has complete order with trophies. Yes, Vladimir Fedotov did not manage to impose serious competition on the St. Petersburg «Zenith» in the championship of Russia, but silver in a tight fight with «Spartak», «Rostov» and «Akhmat» is more than a worthy result. The army team has not won the Russian Cup for ten years, so a victory in the superfinal would be a great end to a long season. Fedotov.
Again “Luzhniki”, again Akinfeev The starting lineups of both teams did not bring big surprises, except for the appearance at the gates of “Krasnodar” 21-year-old Stanislav Agkatsev. At the decisive moment, Ivic nevertheless made a bet on the young competitor Matvey Safonov. More recently, Safonov was considered the first number of the national team, the undisputed leader of Krasnodar and a candidate for a transfer to Europe. Now this is a goalkeeper who covered the spring segment of the season with an unstable game and strange mistakes.
In the first half, CSKA players tried to load the young goalkeeper of the opponents, but most of the attacks rolled into possession of the ball in front of someone else's penalty area. “Krasnodar” also relied on counterattacks, where the speed of midfielders Olakunle Olusegun and Juan Batchi, as well as the pressure of forward John Cordoba, could play a decisive role. Despite their strengths, they could not cause problems for goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev. At the same time, midfielder Eduard Spertsyan, whom the media is actively sending to Ajax, could not find his game. It is unlikely that the scouts of the Amsterdam Superclub were happy with what they saw in the first half of the game at Luzhniki.
In the army, the midfielder Konstantin Kuchaev was especially active, often shifting from the left flank to the center and looking for the transfer of the forward Fyodor Chalov, who was breaking down. One of these raids in the 32nd minute led to the fact that Olusegun inaccurately dumped Kuchaev in his own penalty area. The chief referee of the meeting, Vladislav Bezborodov, immediately pointed to the point, and the penalty was confidently converted by Chalov — 1:0.
After the break, Ilzat Akhmetov, who spent most of his career at CSKA, entered the field as part of Krasnodar. His creativity on the right flank shifted the Red-Blues' defensive focus, allowing Krasnodar's left-back Christiano Ramirez to cross freely into Cordoba's head. Such a cool striker doesn't need two chances — an accurate nod of the head, and the score became 1:1. After that, the course of the game calmed down, the opponents understood that now one mistake would decide everything. Even in such a viscous game, Chalov still found two half-moments, which he still failed to realize. At the end of the match, Spertsyan also woke up, whose impudent runs on the tired defense of CSKA looked spectacular, but ineffective. The tension rose to absolute levels, in such a situation the rivals destroyed more than they created.
Penalty shoot-out became a natural outcome of the superfinal, and in this game of nerves the defender of the «red-blue» Moises was the first to waver, sending the ball far above the gate. At a critical moment, Akinfeev again had to rescue the team — the ageless goalkeeper pulled Batchi's shot and recalled his feat five years ago, when the Russian team beat the Spaniards in a crowded Luzhniki Stadium in a penalty shootout. After that, the legend of the army and the national team repelled Olusegun's penalty, bringing CSKA another title and depriving Krasnodar of another chance to win its first title. The owner of the Krasnodar team, Sergei Galitsky, brought a lot to domestic football and definitely deserved the trophy, but Akinfeev is still writing a page of army victories. And this page is unlikely to end soon.