The penultimate round of the Russian championship turned Spartak into the undisputed favorite in the fight for the only one at stake in the championship, after Zenit secured gold, a ticket to the Champions League. Before the final round, Spartak secured a three-point lead over Lokomotiv, having won 2: 1 against Khimki in a match in which they were inferior in the score, and achieved a turning point, remaining in the first half in the majority.
It is unlikely that a difficult victory at their own stadium over the middle peasant of the championship, even if he added it in the second half, can be perceived by those who are worried about Spartak as a great valor. But in the current context, it was actually a wonderful result for him. Thanks to the difficult victory, Spartak secured a three-point lead from Lokomotiv in the fight for second place before the last round, a bonus to which is a prize more valuable than silver – a ticket to qualifying for the Champions League.
Now, to get it, “Spartak” in the final round next Sunday will just need to score a point in their match. Lokomotiv needs to win by all means, hoping that the Spartak team will be embarrassed and then the superiority of the railway workers in face-to-face meetings will say the decisive word. Both rivals are opposed by clubs similar in status to Khimki – middle peasants without tournament ambitions. True, while Lokomotiv plays Ural at home, Spartak plays Akhmat away. Although this circumstance hardly deprives him of the rank of one hundred percent favorite in the race for an expensive bonus, obtained in a rather curious match.
For those who remember well how at the start of the season Khimki was called almost the farm club of Spartak – especially curious, because the Moscow Region team did not play quite the way they play when they want to share points. And here there was definitely no question of such a desire. Spartak shot at Khimki’s goal quite often, but these were mostly shots from a distance, requiring great execution. And with him, Spartacus Jordan Larsson, Ezequiel Ponce did not work out: the ball flew past the target.
But these mistakes were minor troubles compared to the one that was waiting for “Spartak” in the middle of the first half. Khimki had hinted before that they might bite, but the owners somehow managed to extinguish their impulses at the stage when there was no question of anything deadly. And then everything has grown together perfectly.
Brian Idovu spent about a quarter of an hour almost exclusively chasing after fellow Nigerian Viktor Moses, his opponent on the flank. Moses was insanely energetic in this match, and it seemed that the guardian had no prospects but to guard his jerks forever. But suddenly Idovu was already in front, ready to dash into the penalty area, and Reziuan Mirzov laid out a reference pass for him. Brian Idovu disposed of it wisely – he rolled the ball back into the free zone formed in the Spartak rear, where Maxim Glushenkov was already entrenched. Tom was already a little lucky – the blow ricocheted against the leg of Spartak defender Samuel Gigot, and goalkeeper Alexander Maksimenko, of course, could not react to a sharp change in trajectory.
Glushenkov, rented by Khimki from Spartak, celebrated the goal modestly, as if a little ashamed of what he had done, and then did something that seriously spoiled his team’s mood. The episode was seemingly ordinary: well, Glushenkov and Ayrton fought, well, the Khimki resident fell on the lawn. This happens all the time. But Glushenkov, already lying on the grass, kicked his opponent in the groin with his boot, saw a red card and left Khimki in the minority.
For some time Spartak did not take advantage of the gained advantage in human resources. Khimki defended pretty well, and perhaps Viktor Moses, with his quick feet, was still a big problem for them. But soon after the break, Spartak still equalized the score.
Jordan Larsson tried to cross from the left into the net and hit Yegor Danilkin. VAR confirmed: yes, the ball – Larsson was right – hit the defender’s hand too far to the side. Judge Vladislav Bezborodov with a clear conscience pointed to the penalty spot, and Alexander Sobolev did not screw up the penalty.
Spartak still had 40 minutes ahead to achieve more than a draw. The ways in which he achieved this, however, were not particularly sophisticated – there was constant, but some kind of monotonous pressure to which Khimki had adapted. They adapted so well that at the end of the match they snapped back with a sharp attack.
But Khimki failed to hold out until the final whistle. “Spartak” staged an attack “on the flag”, the crowning of which was a sharp feint by Larsson in the penalty area and a merciless blow from the Swedish striker, which apparently sent “Spartak” to be selected for the group round of the main European Cup.
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