The quarterfinal fixture of the Fonbet Russian Cup Regions' Path, which was held in Saint Petersburg, ended in a 2:1 win in favor of the White-Blues.
After the game against Rostov, Marcel Licka modified the starting line-up seriously, leaving only the same duo of centre-backs in it. Nicholas Marichal took the right-back position, Fedor Smolov was released at the forefront of the attack, while Luka Gagnidze and Aleksandr Kutitsky established themselves in the midfield. It is worth of remark that the latter appeared on the pitch for the first time since October.
Dynamo spent the beginning of the encounter to get used to the artificial pitch of the Kirovets Stadium, but already in the 7th minute the first chance has been created. Smolov assisted to Vyacheslav Grulev, who ran one-on-one with Islam Imamov, but didn't beat the goalkeeper from close range. However, Grulev capitalised on his next chance skillfully, striking low past Imamov after a cool pass from Kutitsky, which Yaroslav Gladyshev managed to adjust – 1:0.
In the 20th minute, the nominal hosts held their dangerous attack: Albek Gongapshev opened up inside Dynamo penalty area. Fortunately, his shot was denied by Anton Shunin. Immediately, our team made an effort to respond – Gagnidze and Dmitry Skopintsev delivered the ball to the penalty box, from where Smolov almost sent it into the net by his heel.
After a short standstill, the teams exchanged goalscoring chances again. First, Shunin turned the ball away in front of him, and Skopintsev hit the post when clearing it out. In the return offensive, Smolov found Grulev inside the penalty area, and Slava fired over the crossbar with a bycicle kick. The end of the half was marked by an obvious advantage of the White-Blues, who were seeking for a goal on set-pieces, but without any serious danger.
At the start of the second half the left post saved the Khabarovsk side after a ricochet off a defender, who tried to intercept Smolov's smart cross. On the opposite half of the pitch, Shunin made a wonderful save out of the top corner after Gongapshev's powerful header.
The weather in St. Petersburg continued to become worse, and the main events were concentrated in the center of the pitch. Khabarovsk players initially focused on long-range strikes, and in the 69th minute they managed to equalise: Andrey Nikitin's delivery from several meters has been finished by persistent Gongapshev.
It took the White-Blues five minutes to send the Khabarovsk side down again. Smolov earned a corner kick, Daniil Fomin crossed to the center of the penalty box, from where Fabian Balbuena slotted the ball into the net! Licka reacted immediately and fielded fresh Bitello and Luis Chavez, who helped in ball control and avoid a nervous ending. We are also to note the debut of young midfielder Yegor Nazarenko, who played 9 minutes.
Now Dynamo advanced into the first stage of Regions' Path semifinals. The draw of this round will be held in the nearest future. In the next RPL match, our team will face Spartak on April 7 at VTB Arena during matchday 23. You can already buy tickets on our website.
