The match of the 25th round of the Russian Premier League, held in Nizhny Novgorod, ended with a score of 1:1.
Rolan Gusev fielded his strongest lineup for the away match against one of the season's underdogs. Igor Leshchuk returned in goal, Nicolas Marichal and Maksim Osipenko formed the center of defense, and Anton Miranchuk, Bitello, and Artur all found their place in the attack.
The first 15 minutes passed at a very decent pace, with both teams immediately attacking and leaving no space for their opponents. Perhaps the only dangerous moment was when Renaldo Cefas made an angled run toward Leshchuk's goal, but his left-footed shot was wildly off target.
The blue-and-whites gradually began to get closer to the home team's goal and create tension. Konstantin Tyukavin received the ball on the edge of the penalty area and almost fired it into the far corner from the spot, but Nikita Medvedev made a diving save. Immediately after the corner, Marichal passed the ball to Osipenko, and once again the Pari NN goalkeeper was up to the task.
The very next corner resulted in a goal: Bitello crossed into the center of the penalty area, Marichal leaped higher than anyone else and fired an unstoppable shot into the right corner. After the goal, Dynamo skillfully calmed the game, kept possession... and then suddenly conceded. In a rare counterattack, Cephas got past Juan Cáceres on the flank and rolled the ball to the far post, where Olakunle Olusegun fired into the empty corner.
For the rest of the half, Dynamo tried to regain their lead and came very close, nearly scoring again from a set piece. After a corner, Tyukavin hit the post, the ball rebounded to a free Osipenko, who fired from the goal area over the crossbar.
Dynamo started the second half noticeably more active than their opponents, attacking hard. After another set piece, the ball bounced to Rubens, but his left-handed shot went wide. In one of the following episodes, the Brazilian landed very awkwardly after a tackle, twisting his ankle, and was only able to leave the field with the help of doctors.
A triple substitution was immediately made: Rubens, Miranchuk, and Artur were replaced by Timofey Marinkin, Ulvi Babayev, and Nicolas Ngamaleu. Dynamo's increased activity soon gave them a numerical advantage: Tyukavin made a great pass to Bitello, who was brought down by Olusegun as he entered the penalty area, earning him a second yellow card.
Nizhny Novgorod defended even more tightly, and Dynamo fielded a second center forward — Ivan Sergeev replaced Daniil Fomin. However, this didn't significantly affect the number of dangerous moments. The only real chance came after a cross from Caceres into the penalty area and a backheel from Tyukavin—the ball went wide of the post.
Dynamo will play Rubin Kazan in their next match at home on April 22. Tickets for this match, which coincides with our club's anniversary, cost 103 rubles.
