You can consider it a coincidence, an increased motivation or a blessing from above, but at the end of October for six seasons in a row the blue and whites have been playing great matches dedicated to the birthday of the main legend of our club.
October 24, 2020, Dynamo 3:1 Sochi
Exactly five years ago, Dynamo players donned the black jersey for the first time in honor of Lev Ivanovich Yashin's 91st birthday. Coincidentally, this match was the first as head coach of the white-and-blues for Sandro Schwarz, whose surname translates as "black" in German. Anton Shunin, meanwhile, was congratulated before the game on his 100th shutout for his hometown club.
The teams quickly traded goals after corner kicks, with Daniil Lesovoy and Miha Mevlja scoring, after which the field was essentially one team. Before the break, Sebastian Szymański gave Dynamo the lead, and early in the second half, Daniil Fomin scored his first goal for our team. He could have scored a brace, but his signature effort from outside the penalty area was blocked by the post.
October 22, 2021, Dynamo 4:1 Khimki
This time, the Dynamo players wore their white retro uniforms, while Shunin wore the stylish black jerseys only for the formation, after which they changed back to their regular shirts. Lev Yashin's signature appeared right in the center circle, bringing good luck to our team.
It all started again with two goals from corners, but this time Dynamo scored both: Arsen Zakharyan curled two shots into the near post, from where Nikola Moro and Vyacheslav Grulev fired past Ilya Lantratov. After the break, Fomin played a subtle pass to Konstantin Tyukavin, who expertly rounded the goalkeeper and rolled the ball into the empty net. Grulev completed the rout with a shot into the goal, scoring a double, and Zakharyan shone with an assist hat-trick.
October 22, 2022, Lokomotiv 1:3 Dynamo
In 2022, the legend's birthday coincided with an away derby in Cherkizovo, which began with a cold shower for our team. In the very first attack, former Dynamo player Dmitry Zhivoglyadov crossed to the far post, from where François Kamano hammered the ball past Shunin.
However, Dynamo left no doubt about their superiority. Fyodor Smolov converted a penalty, scoring his 100th goal in the Russian championship. The referee then disallowed what appeared to be a clear goal by Zakharyan, but Arsen was undeterred and scored from a free kick in the second half, deflected off the wall. The match ended with another penalty, earned by Tyukavin and converted by Fomin.
October 29, 2023, Dynamo 2:1 Ural
Perhaps the most difficult victory for the blue-and-whites in our selection occurred at VTB Arena in 2023. To achieve this, they had to end a five-match winless streak in the Russian Premier League, and Kostya Tyukavin scored for the first time in two and a half months. His goal drought ended in the 42nd minute, when he headed in a cross from Dmitry Skopintsev. Incidentally, that goal began his five-match scoring streak.
In the second half, Igor Leschuk, playing in the all-white uniform, saved a point-blank shot from Timur Ayupov, after which Bitello scored his debut goal in the Russian Premier League, spinning Emmerson and hitting the top corner. Ural managed to create several very dangerous moments, but only reduced the gap in the score in stoppage time thanks to a long-range shot by Ilya Ishkov.
October 24, 2024, Krylia Sovetov 3:6 Dynamo
Dynamo needed only a win to advance to the RPL Russian Cup playoffs, and they achieved it in superb style, even with a very young lineup. By the 27th minute, the teams had scored five goals – a stunning spin from Yaroslav Gladyshev, an empty-net effort from El-Mehdi Maouhoub, and a long-range shot from Luka Gagnidze allowed Dynamo to go into the break with a minimal lead.
In the second half, the Moroccan forward for the white-and-blues scored Dynamo's first hat-trick in eight years, and Denis Makarov added a goal to his three assists. Incidentally, Ivan Sergeev and Ulvi Babaev, who earned a penalty in the first half, took part in this goal-scoring extravaganza on the Krylia side.
October 22, 2025, Dynamo 4:0 Krylia Sovetov
He was destined to be the star of the remake, which took place exactly one year later. Once again, it was the sixth round of the Cup group stage, once again Dynamo needed only a victory, once again wearing black uniforms and celebrating Lev Yashin's birthday.
Only this time, the action took place at VTB Arena, with Babaev and Sergeev playing for Dynamo, and Ivan Lepskiy, conversely, for Krylia. Once again, the 21-year-old forward's hat-trick came to the rescue – only this time, Dynamo Academy graduate Ulvi Babaev, who could score for any occasion, had his best game. Fomin's sweet free-kick and Leshchuk's ninth shutout of the Cup only completed the festive atmosphere.
