Blue and whites defeated Dynamo Makhachkala in the RPL match

In his first match as the team's interim head coach, Rolan Gusev fielded a super-attacking lineup featuring Daniil Fomin, Bitello, Nicolas Ngamaleu, Yaroslav Gladyshev, Ivan Sergeyev, and Konstantin Tyukavin. Andrei Lunev returned to goal for the first time since early October.

In the second minute, he made a brilliant save from Mehdi Mubarik, after which, for the rest of the half, he only came into play when he needed to play with the defenders. Dynamo, meanwhile, struggled to find a way to break down Makhachkala's defense, which relied on petty fouls and skillfully stopped attacks on the approaches to their penalty area.

Bitello's first effective shot from outside the penalty area only came in the 24th minute, but the ball whistled just wide of the post. But just three minutes later the score was opened: Gladyshev took a corner, made a rebound after a clearance from the penalty area and returned it back, and Tyukavin sent the ball into the net with his signature backheel.

For the remainder of the half, the Muscovites dominated possession, preventing their opponents from changing the game's tone. The second half couldn't have started better: in the very first minute, Tyukavin stole the ball in the center of the field, Fomin passed it to Bitello, who made a masterful pass into the penalty area, where Sergeyev burst in and pierced the goalkeeper with a shot – 2-0!

In the 60th minute, Gladyshev was replaced by Ulvi Babaev, whose arrival coincided with the visitors' intensification of play. They managed to penetrate Lunev's penalty area several times, and Rajab Magomedov even found himself one-on-one with our goalkeeper, who made a brilliant save. Gusev immediately brought on Alexander Kutitsky, who had replaced Sergeyev, to reinforce the center of the field.

With 20 minutes left, Makhachkala was down to ten men – Imadeddin Azzi received a second yellow card for a rough challenge on Bitello. Fomin curled a free kick into the far corner, where Timur Magomedov saved it. And then Dynamo nearly scored themselves: Kutitsky made a poor cross, Miro intercepted it, and chipped the ball over the oncoming Lunev. Fortunately, the ball landed on top of the net.

Our coaching staff made a triple substitution at the end. Dynamo launched an attacking attack with a long pass, and Babayev passed the ball into the penalty area to Viktor Okishor, whose shot was saved by the goalkeeper, but El-Mehdi Maouhoub's follow-up made the score even bigger.

Dynamo earned 20 points and moved up to ninth place in the standings. The white-and-blues will play their next match in the FONBET Russian Cup at home against Zenit St. Petersburg on November 27. Tickets for VTB Arena are available on our website.