Vyacheslav Grulev and Albert Sharipov
The encounter of the Mir Russian Premier League seventh round that was held at Nizhny Novgorod ended in a 2:2 draw.
Diego Laxalt and Fedor Smolov were not available for the RPL seventh round yet. The coaching staff of Slavisa Jokanovic made only one change into the starting eleven. Vyacheslav Grulev came out as a left winger, Arsen Zakharyan shifted to the midfield while Daniil Fomin replaced the disqualified Nikola Moro as a defensive midfielder.
From the beginning of the first half both sides played tight leaving less space to the opponent. Anton Shunin was the first who demonstrated his vigilance turning the ball aside after Lucas Masoero's header. The White-Blues opened the score on the 17th minute. Denis Makarov found Konstantin Tyukavin inside the penalty box. Kostya earned a foul for Kirill Gotsuk and Fomin converted his 16th consecutive penalty in the RPL.
Konstantin Tyukavin and Daniil Fomin
The goal brought more energy for the visitors. They played with pleasure while the Nizhny Novgorod side faced some troubles in defense. On the 29th minute Slavisa Jokanovic's men doubled their lead. Fomin intercepted the ball near the kick-off circle. The speedy attack came to Grulev who made an assist to Tyukavin. The talented striker put his name on the scoresheet in the second straight game.
Dynamo continued to control the match and create dangerous chances. Only luck protected the hosts from a big lead in the Muscovites' favor. Saba Sazonov and Tyukavin were close to condemn Mikhail Galaktionov's team. During the interval the Pari NN head coach decided to field two fresh players – Dmitry Rybchinsky and the joker Timur Suleymanov.
The Nizhny Novgorod side capitalised on a set-piece. Nikolay Kalinsky took another corner and Kirill Gotsuk fell in the penalty area contacting Roberto Fernandez. Kalinsky managed to beat Shunin from the spot ending his streak of three clean sheets in a row. In a while, Fernandez was sent off for blocking the Angolan Milson.
Then, Milson shined again dragging the ball past Sergey Parshivlyuk. He offered a royal chance to Stotsky who didn't miss the target. It can be seen on the VAR screen that the ball had left the goal line. However, after quick consultations the main referee confirmed the scoring.
By the final whistle both teams could pull out a victory. Firstly, Kalinsky hit the woodwork taking a free-kick in the dangerous proximity of the penalty box. Dynamo players had a great chance in added time. Yaroslav Gladyshev dribbled the opponent and made a low cross to Daniil Lesovoy. Unfortunately, Daniil fired over the crossbar.
The White-Blues picked up 13 points and climbed to the fourth spot. In the RPL next round encounter our team will host Ural at VTB Arena. Before the championship fixture Dynamo will play against Rostov on the road on August 31.