The match of the 21st round of the Russian Premier League, held in Rostov-on-Don, ended with the victory of our team with a score of 1:0.
This time, the winning lineup from the brotherly derby was replicated, and Dynamo surged forward from the very first minute. Juan Cáceres crossed into the center of the penalty area for Bitello, who made a superb finish, but Ronaldo deflected it off the Brazilian's foot at the last moment.
In the 10th minute, an unfortunate incident occurred: after a high challenge, Ilya Vakhaniya landed on Nicolas Ngamaleu's foot. The Cameroonian was only able to leave the field with medical attention, heading straight to the locker room. He was replaced by Yaroslav Gladyshev. Arthur was next on the field, having been tackled by Viktor Melyokhin, who had his studs in his ankle. Yan Bobrovsky initially issued a yellow card, but after a video review, it was changed to a red one.
Dynamo's already significant territorial advantage became overwhelming. Rubens turned and headed Arthur's cross just wide of the post. Konstantin Tyukavin headed in Arthur's pass, but Rustam Yatimov was on target. Gladyshev, from his trademark spot, curled the ball into the top corner, but narrowly missed.
The hosts responded with a dangerous set piece: Ronaldo headed the ball right under the crossbar, from where Kurban Rasulov, with a spectacular dive, retrieved it. A little later, the young goalkeeper made another excellent play, blocking Yegor Golenkov's powerful shot into the near corner. By that point, the teams were level – Rubens received a second yellow card, which provoked a storm of indignation.
Dynamo, however, was undeterred, and they launched two excellent attacks, both on the ball and on the ball. Caceres crossed from the right, but Tyukavin, diving, headed the ball in, but his shot was not effective. But already in the fifth minute of added time, Kostya redirected the Paraguayan’s cross with his hip right into the net!
The second half began with a dangerous exchange of attacks. Rasulov parried a powerful shot from Mohammad Mohebi, who was deflected by Maksim Osipenko, while Yatimov made a difficult save from Bitello from long range. After a brief lull, Kurban made another brilliant save from Konstantin Kuchaev's 17-meter shot.
After a series of substitutions, the Blue-Whites' attack was refreshed: Arthur, Gladyshev, and Tyukavin were replaced by Timofey Marinkin, El-Mehdi Maouhoub, and Ivan Sergeyev. The Moroccan sent the ball into the net with his first touch, finishing a corner, but Bobrovsky immediately interrupted Mehdi's celebration, issuing a foul.
Towards the end, the hosts mounted a small attack, and Golenkov had three chances to equalize. First, Daniil Fomin managed to get his foot in the way of his killer shot from 10 meters out, then the Rostov captain's header deflected inches wide of the post, and Rasulov finally caught his shot in the near corner. Even Yatimov ran into Dynamo's penalty area, delivering the final shot of the match, albeit a very wide one.
Dynamo has 30 points and closed in on sixth-place Spartak (35). The teams will now play at the Tushino Arena in the second leg of the Russian Cup semifinal on March 18. In the next round of the Russian Premier League, the White-Blues will host Zenit on March 22. Tickets for VTB Arena are available on our website.
