The meeting of the 5th round of the group stage of the Fonbet Cup of Russia, held at VTB Arena, ended with a 3-2 victory for the guests
In the derby, both coaches fielded their second-string teams, keeping a few key players. For Dynamo, only Fabián, Balbuena, and Nicolás Marichal started the game in Makhachkala from the first minute. Finally, Diego Laxalt appeared in the holding midfield position, and Jorge Carraskal took up the playmaker role.
It was he who perfectly crossed from a corner kick to the onrushing Eli Dasu in the 2nd minute, and the Israeli defender hammered the ball into the corner of Aleksandr Selikhov's goal with a powerful shot from the edge of the penalty area! The visitors quickly equalized from a set piece as well — Vitaly Meshkov awarded a penalty after the ball hit Marichal's hand, and Ezequiel Barco converted the spot kick again, although Igor Leshchuk came close to saving it.
After exchanging blows, the opponents decided not to slow down. Dmitriy Skopintsev finished an impressive run with an inaccurate shot from the right, Denis Makarov missed the ball properly from close range after Carraskal's cross, and Ricardo Mangas almost hit the far corner with a shot from an acute angle
But still, the second ten-minute period also ended with a goal. Luka Gagnidze intercepted the ball near the opponent's penalty area, Carrascal got rid of the defender and passed to the running El Mehdi Maouhoub — the Moroccan left no chances for the visitors' goalkeeper!
Having taken the lead, Dynamo players rushed to score the third one. In a quick attack, Makarov shared the ball with Maouhoub, but this time the shot by the Dynamo newcomer went over the crossbar. Next, Yaroslav Gladyshev evaded several defenders and shot at close range at the goalkeeper, and a little later Makarov, after a pass from Laxalt, charged above the goal. At the end of the half, Leshchuk made two top saves after shots by Mangahas and Marquinhos.
The same open football continued after the break. First, Marquinhos took a dangerous shot from the corner of the penalty area. Then Carrascal, with another great pass, brought Makarov into the striking position, but Mangahas managed to throw himself under the ball at the last second. Immediately after that, Skopintsev again broke into the penalty area and struck next to the post
Towards the middle of the half, Dynamo gave up the initiative and focused on counterattacks, preventing their opponents from creating anything at their goal. Arthur, Daniil, Fomin, Bitello and Konstantin Tyukavin were called upon to freshen up the game in attack. But it was the red-and-white substitutes who ultimately made the difference. After a corner kick, Shamar Nicholson headed the ball into the post, which ricocheted off Leshchuk and fell to Kristofer Martins, equalizing the score.
The teams were not content with a draw and tried to snatch victory in regular time. Tyukavin outstripped Mienty Abena at the opponent's goal, but missed the target from a sharp angle, while Spartak scored again from a set piece — this time, Willian José perfectly executed a free kick from 20 meters.
After 5 rounds, Dynamo are second in Group A with 8 points. On October 6, the blue-whites will host CSKA in the next match as part of the Russian Premier League. Purchase tickets for VTB Arena on our website
