Top the League and 200th goal
This Saturday Baltika FC started a new season with a home match against its staunch opponent – Chernomorets from Novorossiysk. Matches between the two teams have always been tough and rough. This game couldn’t be an exception. Back in the 90’s when Baltika played in Russian Senior League all 90 minutes of the game turned into battles with send-offs, scrambles and even fist checking.
Matchday 1. March 28
The first home game always attracts a good number of crowd. This time almost 11 thousand people came to open another football season in western most city of Russia.
After the kick-off Baltika players took the control of the ball and little by little started attacking with almost minimum time spent in the centre of the pitch. It wasn’t an assault, not at all, but finally the opening goal of the season was scored and it happened in late first half and seemed quite logic. Korovushkin got the ball right in the centre of the penalty area absolutely unmarked and sent the ball in the net moving a bit forward.
The above mentioned bellicose plot repeated with six cautions (Dzidich, Trusevich, Simonov of Baltika; Byrlov, Kochubey - Chernomorets) and a red card shown to Burzuev of Chernomorets on 67 minutes for getting the second yellow. In the second half Baltika had to double the score but all the numerous opportunities on our right-wing were failed before turning into good scoring chances. Now Sanaya ,Head coach, should make up possible productive variants how to vary the play in attack for ceaseless high crosses seem not effective through the season when our team meets more dangerous opponents with better skills and wiser tactical approach.
Line-up: Rogachov © – Timofeev, Popov, Dzidich, Kenkishvili, - Okorochkov (Shlyapkin, 82), Simonov (Babich, 83), Trusevich, Kolomiychenko – Zavaliy (Golubov, 54), Korovushkin (Sanaya, 87)
Matchday 2. March 31
200th goal in Russian First League wasn’t postponed and therefore celebrated with joy and exulting as Baltika rookie Shlyapkin scored on 88 minutes against Krasnodar FC.
The whole match didn’t abound with scoring opportunities, there were few of them. In the first half Baltika goalkeeper Rogachov stretched himself to deny a good header and in the second half he repeated his skills saving two more balls that might have been goals. In its turn Baltika created just one more or less good opportunity with Okorochkov failing to stuff the ball into the open goal being just three meters far from the goal. The game could have ended in a dull 0-0 draw but Shlyapkin who replaced Okorochkov objected and after his low blast shot the stadium began shaking in ecstasy. It happened just two minutes before the full time and this victory advanced Baltika on the very top of Russian First Football Division with 6 points after two games played at home. Besides, the winning goal turned out to be 200th anniversary goal for Baltika scored in the First Russian Division.
Line-up: Rogachov © – Timofeev, Revyakin, Dzidich, Kenkishvili – Okorochkov (Shlyapkin, 75), Simonov, Trusevich (Babich, 46), Kolomiychenko (Egorov, 56) – Golubov (Zavaliy, 61), Korovushkin.
The next two games will be played away: on 8th of April against Volgar-Gazprom2 from Astrakhan and two days later against Anzhi in Makhachkala.
Alex Maximov. E-mail: Alex77786@mail.ru
