Young performers: Batrakov and Rakov take leading roles in RPL

Zenit and CSKA have not started the season brilliantly. The medalists of the last championship probably counted on 100% points in matches with the average and outsiders of last season, but the army team stumbled in Orenburg, and the St. Petersburg team in Kazan. In the face-to-face match, these teams also did not reveal a winner. (1-1) and now they are already four points behind the leading Lokomotiv. Only Mikhail Galaktiotov's team is still without losses, but other contenders for the title — Spartak and Dynamo — are at the end of the top ten.

The exchange of blows

Zenit and CSKA did not come to the central match of the tour in the best shape, and even with losses in the lineups. Muscovites are preparing to part ways with Willian Rocha, and Luis Enrique has not recovered from Zenit. Moreover, there was no Glushenkov at the heart of the blue-white-blue.

However, even without their top ten, Zenit started the match well. CSKA met the hosts very low, sagged under their pressure, but the defenders most often took the players' blows. And in the most dangerous moment of the half at Akinfeev's goal, the blue-white-blues were unlucky: Gerson lacked a couple of centimeters to close Pedro's shot.

Without scoring a quick goal, Zenit gradually slowed down the pace. As a result, CSKA scored higher and opened the scoring with the first shot on target in the 33rd minute. The red-blue scoring combination turned out to be spectacular: no one faked, and Alerrandro was also lucky to hit the bar perfectly. There is the Brazilian striker's first goal for CSKA — in the 12th match for the team.

At the same time, CSKA did not set any super-tasks for Zenit. In the spring, it was difficult for Semak to crack Marko Nikolic's diamond, and now Fabio Celestini has proposed a less intricate scheme. And even the All-Rounder, who had a double a week ago, was more focused on defense. Although in the 55th minute he struck from afar.

Semak is often criticized for his poor operational control of the game, but this time he got in with the substitutions: he released the right players and did it on time. Although it is significant that Glushenkov was not among the three players who came out in the 62nd minute. But there were Luciano, Vega and Sobolev. And they've obviously stepped up the game.

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The Zenit-CSKA match promises to be a test for the teams, if not an exam, then a work on mistakes.

Almost immediately after Vega appeared, he created a couple of moments for Sobolev. Alexander was clearly energized: in the match against Rubin, he did not enter the field at all, but here he was trying to prove himself. He missed the biggest moment of the game in the 69th minute, when he hit the post from close range, and Mantuan missed the corner.

The pressure on the CSKA goal was intense and eventually led to a goal. Krugovoy touched Mantuan's heel in the penalty area, and Chistyakov awarded a penalty. Surprisingly, it was not Gustavo who approached the ball, but Sobolev, and immediately executed the sentence.

The hosts were not satisfied with the draw, so in the end they tried to score more — even Glushenkov came out for this case. In the 90th minute, Luciano fired into the near "nine" — Akinfeev reacted. And almost immediately, the victory was almost gnawed out by the army — Gayich unexpectedly cut a corner and charged into the crossbar from afar.

No one is exactly happy with the result. CSKA missed the victory due to a sloppy Krugovoy foul, and Zenit was let down by a monstrous realization - if it hadn't been for her, Semak's team would have easily won. Because of this draw, both teams are already four points behind Lokomotiv.

Dynamo's depressing stats

In the other central match of the tour, only one goal was scored. Last season's MVP— Krasnodar forward John Cordoba, hit the Dynamo goal three minutes before the end of regular time. After the end of the match, the Opta statistical platform translated into numbers what the fans saw with their own eyes, marveling at the helplessness of the Muscovites in attack: 3 shots, 0 shots from the penalty area; 0 shots on target; 0 corners; 0.1 xG (expected goals); 4 touches in someone else's penalty area.

The last time Dynamo scored so little in the Russian championship was in 2011 against Rubin (also three). And the blue and white team has never had zero shots from the penalty area during the data collection (since 2009).

You can look for an explanation. For example, there are Tyukavin, Bitello, Mauhub, Artur, and Chavez in the Dynamo infirmary. It's just midfield and attack. There are also defenders Laxalt, Osipenko, Fernandez, Majstorovich. Almost an entire team can be fielded, which will be stronger than the one that took the field in Krasnodar.

Or to say that the new coach Valery Karpin came in less than two months ago and has not yet managed to rebuild Dynamo according to his vision.

But let's go back to the statistics once again and state: since 2009, 11 specialists have come (Kobelev was replaced by Bozhovich, then Silkin, Petrescu, Cherchesov, Kobelev, Kalitvintsev, Khokhlov, Novikov, Schwartz, Jokanovich, Lichka), each rebuilt the game, had some problems with the composition. More than once or twice, the selection of players was weaker than the one that played against the Bulls, but never before has the team finished a match with zero shots from outside the penalty area.

"There was no misfire with Baltika — it's just that the start of the season is always difficult"

Dynamo Moscow football player Denis Makarov — about the first matches under Karpin's leadership and the newcomers of the team

The most interesting thing is that Dynamo cannot be accused of sloppiness, lack of focus, or indifference. The players are hacking with all their might, plastering themselves in the tackles, falling under the blows, not sparing themselves in the joints. Due to this, it was possible to restrain the Bulls until the 87th minute, when the magnificent Cordoba nevertheless found the opportunity for his killer shot.

The Muscovites could even take away a draw with a certain amount of luck — there wasn't enough time. But Musaev's team couldn't lose that evening. Unless she accidentally scored on her own goal. Dynamo had nothing ahead of them. Half of the attacks were already nipped in the bud when the hosts were under pressure, the second half in the second third of the field, where the blue and white could not find interesting solutions, inaccurately passed or stuck the ball into the opponent.

After three rounds— it's only four points. Before the September break for the national teams, there are meetings with Sochi, CSKA, Paris NN and Dynamo (Makhachkala). It's a pretty comfortable calendar, but Karpin needs to do something about the attack urgently. Otherwise, you can't beat the outsiders either.

Stankovich's failure

Spartak also lost points. Dejan Stankovic's team scored against Akron, playing in the minority, in added time (Solari scored), but missed a penalty from Artem Dzyuba a few minutes later.

— Spartak finishes the match with ten players again due to relegation. And he's losing points again, this time in Samara with Akron," said Maxim Allanazarov, deputy editor—in—chief of Sport-Express. — With a pair of Ugalde–Garcia forwards, the most expensive newcomer is Fernandes... And after all, the acquisitions have not been completed — the club is busy looking for a new central defender! Can someone at least explain to me the logic of the red-white transfers? You can buy as many strikers and central midfielders as you want in an overloaded zone for tens of millions of euros, but what difference will it make if Khlusevich and Ryabchuk come out on the defensive flanks, who don't match the team's level at all? Everyone can see this except sports director Francis Cahigao.

According to the expert, looking at the game of the red-whites in Samara, and in the previous round against Baltika, one gets the feeling that people who are involved in recruiting the team "don't watch football at all."

— Instead of Jedson Fernandes, for $27 million, it was possible to bring two flank defenders and make the squad more balanced. Another pain of Spartak fans is the young players. There are no talented young people who can strengthen the team, not even close. While Alexey Batrakov, Vadim Rakov, Sergey Pinyaev and Matvey Kislyak are lighting up in the RPL, Spartak is pumping tens of millions into incomprehensible Costa Ricans and passengers from the Cyprus championship," Allanazarov said.

"It seemed to me that Spartak underestimated us a bit."

Baltika head coach Andrey Talalaev — about the defeat of the red and white, refereeing mistakes and epithets for the team

Vadim Rakov, leased by Krylia Sovetov from Lokomotiv, scored a double in the winning match against Rostov (4:1). In total, he has four goals and one assist in the opening three rounds. Lokomotiv's leader Alexei Batrakov also has four goals scored this season (three of them in the championship) and a double in the match against Paris NN (3:2).

Sergei Pinyaev scored a magnificent goal in Nizhny Novgorod, who refused a transfer to CSKA. On the eve of the Spartak derby, this form of one of the team's leaders inspires optimism. Of course, everything was fine with Batrakov's health (and he suffered a muscle injury during the match). Loko needs all the best players for the game, which will be a test of compliance with the ambitions of the sole leader.