Knocking on the Cup doors

Summer time it is when the Russian Cup games happen bringing more and more unexpected results beginning from recently. 

Premier League teams start their cup voyages playing this round away thus giving small and big towns of Russia an opportunity to show what they are. 

In 1/32 round of the Russian Cup Baltika won Torpedo-ZIL 3:0 and yesterday we were playing FC Khimki – the main underdog of the tournament in the Russian strongest League which to say it beforehand lost 12 out of 16 teams in these small and big Russian towns. 

Last year Luch-energy from Vladivostok couldn’t be a respectable opponent for our club for they were failing and tailing in Premier League then and therefore were focused on their inner relegation coming problems. They came to us having minimum of the first team. The result was bad. Baltika routed and showed who is the master in the argument of the two seas (The Baltic Sea or the Sea of Okhotsk).

Before the game against FC Khimki some football analysts and journalists were saying that their voyage to Kaliningrad could lack a host of the team core as it was in the previous year. It doesn’t change the situation. If you have come to whack – do it, if not – then get ready to become a loser in the Cup race. 

Lineups:

Baltika: Yakovlev – Timofeev ©, Krystafovich, Revyakin, Popov – Kolomiychenko (Egorov, 63’), Trusevich, Pershin (Matyola), Okorochkov – Dzidich (Korovushkin, 73’), Golubov. 

Khimki: Berezovskiy – Golovatenko, Rotenberg, Trivunovich, Nastich – Kirakosyan, Samsonov(Nikiforov, 86‘), Pilipchuk (Nizamutdinov, 46’), Zvetkovich – Blatnyak © (Kirilov, 67’), Kozanov.  

The match began in a slow tempo and the both teams spent enough time trying before they made the first shots. One detail seemed almost obvious: the guests understood each other on the pitch better and attempted to feint more often leaving Baltika defenders surprised. At 27’ such fast offensive turned into a free-kick. Kirakosyan of Khimki curled the ball above and past the wall in the way that it deflected off the cross-bar so mildly that crossed the bye-line after. The referee assistant lifted his flag indicating the end of the episode. No sooner the match resumed after the goal Baltika executed rapidly and tempestuously - a cross found Kolomiychenko who nailed the ball in the net. The first half was over and the second one promised to be more interesting as the stadium announcer had mentioned all the other cup  games results. Khimki was willing to be among the few lucky Premier League teams that advanced to 1/8 finals but Baltika scored the second midway through the second half when Revyakin turned in the penalty area as the most skillful and dexterous to stuff the ball in the net driving the crowd mad. This caused recollection of the glorious “Baltic wave style” which happened thrice during the second half. 

All could have been ideal if it was not for our defensive way of play after the second goal. The whole Baltika team retrieved and kept very defensive almost bringing an equalizer when all Khimki rushed forward long crossing. Once they were very close making our defender face his own goalkeeper/ Fortunately no goal. Last minutes were nervous as Baltika guys got tired leaving just one player ahead. The final whistle followed four added minutes meaning Baltika – Volga rivalry in 1/8 Cup Russia round.   

Alex Maximov

Alex77786@mail.ru