Karpin was a minute away from victory. But the Loko player created a miracle in the style of Ronaldinho
The match in Moscow is a real gem!
RPL, what are you doing?! Continue! Round 2 closed in Moscow with a match between Lokomotiv and Rostov. The sign claimed to be one of the brightest, and expectations were fully justified.
The start of the match was strong. Loko immediately rushed forward and set a frantic pace. And scored (surprise) “Rostov”. The Loko players either did not know how Valery Karpin’s team plays free kicks, or they did not learn the recipe for counteraction. It turned out to be a copy of the goal against Dynamo in the 1st round: the perfect serve of Daniil Utkin, a light touch with the head of Nikolai Komlichenko. Karpin on the edge, meanwhile, was absolutely calm.
Having quickly missed, Loko went to press. The hosts had chances, but the players were in a hurry. Many transfers from the depths simply flew forward, where the attackers had not yet had time to run. However, some people clearly stood out. Anton Miranchuk actively took the initiative, dribbled, beat and gave away.
At the 30th minute refereeing came to the fore. Wilson Isidor rode away from Danila Prokhin and collapsed in the penalty area after contact. Arbitrator Alexei Sukhoi was not impressed by the fall of the Frenchman, but VAR intervened. The judge watched the replay for several minutes and eventually changed his mind. Miranchuk dealt with Sergei Pesyakov – 1:1.
Rostov, meanwhile, continued to show a master class on free kicks. It turned out that, in addition to Utkin’s innings, there is another tricky draw, which also almost led to a goal. But this time, Loko carried it through.
And at the end of the half, Loko got into trouble. Defender Lukas Fasson fell during the fight and could not get up for a long time. Stanislav Magkeev entered the second half.
The main moment of the beginning of the second half was Pesyakov’s miracle save. Francois Camano thrashed on goal from a couple of meters after the cross, but the score remained unchanged.
And in the 65th minute Loko’s position worsened. After the forced replacement, the hosts remained in the minority. Alexis Beka-Beka, who already had a yellow one, boiled over Alexei Mironov and went to rest.
The end of the match turned out to be cheerful. “Rostov”, being in the majority, took the ball and boldly went forward. “Loco” answered: reactive counterattacks went through the center, where Girano Kerk and Isidore were rushing.
Another problem came to Loko from where they were not expected. At the 88th minute, the young goalkeeper Daniil Khudyakov for some reason rushed to the interception when this was not required, and was punished. The angle for the strike was not the most convenient, but this is Utkin and his left leg. 1:2.
It seemed that Rostov’s victory was already inevitable, but in the 94th minute it was time for pure art. Konstantin Maradishvili felt that it was time to unleash the inner Ronaldinho, and built a masterpiece.
And in the very ending there was a small scandal. Yes, refereeing again. Loko ran away to a promising counterattack, but the referee Sukhoi behaved to match his last name and blew the whistle. The hosts were furious and eventually picked up yellow cards. Even Isidor got it, who by that time had already been replaced, but ran to the opposite edge to demand an explanation from the judge.
The 2nd round of the RPL ended in a fitting way. In all previous matches, the teams scored at least three goals, and the meeting between Loko and Rostov became another decoration. By the way, only they still play exclusively in a draw. Loko and Rostov have not yet had any victories or defeats.
Maradishvili’s goal through himself is an ornament. But Zakharyan and Agalarov also declared themselves
