The return match of the semi-final of the Russian Cup, held at the Lukoil Arena, ended with the victory of Spartak with a score of 1:0.
After the trip to Rostov-on-Don, there were two changes to the starting lineup: David Ricardo replaced Nicolas Marichal in central defense, and Yaroslav Gladyshev replaced Artur in attack. Nicolas Ngamaleu, however, escaped with no serious injury and started the match.
Gladyshev created the first dangerous moment of the match, moving from the flank and shooting from outside the penalty area towards the near corner. The ball sailed through a thicket of legs, and only the reaction of Aleksandr Maksimenko saved the hosts. Spartak responded with a flurry of corners and crosses, which the blue-and-whites handled confidently. Kurban Rasulov was forced into action only once, when he deflected a curling shot from Ezequiel Barco.
Spartak attacked more, while Dynamo defended organizedly and waited for their chances in interceptions. Perhaps the most realistic chance to open the scoring was missed by Manfred Ugalde in the 25th minute, when he headed the ball just wide of the post after a cross from the right flank.
Late in the half, Rolan Gusev was forced to make a substitution: Maksim Osipenko pulled a muscle, forcing Roberto Fernandez to return for the second time this year. Bitello's trademark corner cross could have scored, but Maksimenko caught the ball in the top corner after it ricocheted off David Ricardo's thigh.
The second half began with a dangerous Spartak free kick – Barco fired over the bar from the half-circle. Dynamo responded with long-range shots from Rubens that reached the goalkeeper and Daniil Fomin that went just wide of the post. A double substitution was made in the 55th minute: Timofey Marinkin and Danil Glebov came on for Bitello and Rubens.
And then Spartak took the lead when, after a corner and numerous rebounds, Christopher Wu fired home from close range. The game immediately opened up, and the score could have been tied very quickly: Marinkin and Gladyshev put Konstantin Tyukavin in a striking position, but Maksimenko held his own in close combat.
Rasulov was forced into action twice in a single attack, first deflecting Pablo Solari's unexpected shot under the crossbar and then beating two opponents on the follow-up. The Argentine soon found himself in a scoring position again, and this time Fomin got his foot in just the right spot.
In the final 20 minutes, the red-and-whites attempted to build an attack, but they failed to create any real dangerous chances, and our young goalkeeper confidently deflected all that reached Rasulov well away from the goal.
Thus, the white-and-blues won 5-3 on aggregate and will now face Krasnodar in the RPL Path final (April 7-9 in Moscow and May 5-7 in Krasnodar).
Dynamo will host Zenit in their next match on March 22. Tickets for the VTB Arena are available on our website.
