The main time of the meeting of the 5th round of the group stage of the Russian Cup, held in Krasnodar, ended in a zero draw, and in the penalty shootout the hosts were more accurate (4:2).
Both teams entered the match with lineups clearly focused on attack. Dynamo started with Daniil Fomin, Anton Miranchuk, and Bitello in the center, while the attacking trio consisted of Ulvi Babayev, Konstantin Tyukavin, and Nicolas Ngamaleu. Yaroslav Gladyshev, who had recovered from injury, returned to the bench after a long break.
Dynamo started the match actively – in the first five minutes, Bitello and Babayev tested Aleksandr Koryakin's reaction, and the City goalkeeper did not let his team down. The active Babayev fought well on the left flank and made a cross, after which Miranchuk fired just over the top.
The white-and-blues allowed little opportunity to create in front of Rasulov's goal, while regularly reaching Koryakin's goal, but they lacked the final accurate pass in the penalty area. Kurban made his first serious appearance in the game after just 25 minutes, making a great save from a cross from the flank and then, a little later, securing the ball after a weak shot from Kevin Lenini.
The captains then traded long-range shots: while Rasulov easily dealt with Eduard Spertsyan's attempt, Fomin's powerful shot forced Koryakin to make a spectacular save. In the final minute of the half, Juan Cáceres put in a good effort with his weak left foot, stroking the top of the net.
The second half began at a furious pace. Ngamaleu launched a dangerous shot from the penalty area in the very first minute, but the goalkeeper saved it. Immediately after his cross into the penalty area, Vitaly Stezhko blocked the ball off Tyukavin's foot. In his own half, Nicolas Marichal mishandled a back pass, and John Cordoba raced toward Rasulov's goal, luckily shooting inches wide of the post.
The attack was on the attack. Tyukavin had his chance, making a great effort from long range, but Koryakin saved his team again. Soon, Cordoba rolled the ball into the center of the penalty area, where Douglas Augusto fired home, and Cáceres cleared the ball from the line. In the next episode, Cordoba himself closed the cross, and Rasulov saved the Colombian's point-blank shot, while Giovanni González's follow-up hit the post.
Valeri Karpin freshened up the lineup, bringing on Danil Glebov, Ivan Sergeev, and El-Mehdi Maouhoub. Gladyshev was brought on with 20 minutes remaining. While there were fewer dangerous moments, the game remained tense. The home team dominated the final stretch – the ball bounced around the penalty area several times, but our players' dedicated play prevented the Bulls from scoring.
In the penalty shootout, Sergeev and Mauhoub converted their attempts, Koryakin parried Gladyshev's shot, and Miranchuk fired over the crossbar. The Blue-Whites remain second in Group B with eight points.
Dynamo will host Lokomotiv in their next match on Saturday, October 4. Last tickets are available on our website.
