1/8 Finals, No Prob

People have been asking Slaven Bilic who’s going to play against FC Torpedo Armavir. He rested most of the main squad players instead of flying them to the Krasnodar Krai. That meant a chance for subs and the reserve to show off in front of their manager. As a result, reservist Georgy Burnash was installed in the right back position, newcomer Reto Ziegler debuted as a left back, and Dmitry Loskov and Dmitry Sychev who lack playing time but have lots of experience took up positions in the midfield and up front respectively.

Playing favourites, Loko dominated on the pitch. The Railwaymen added in aggression with every attack and in the 15th minute they could have scored. Loskov played a corner that only shook a post and the ball bumped to Maicon. The forward stroke but missed by just a whisker. Ziegler also played corners and made a couple of pretty dangerous crosses from his flank.

FC Torpedo employed mainly counterattacking tactics. Miroslav Lobantsev had to step in twice to stop the shots by Verkashansky, a graduate of Lokomotiv Soccer School. His close-range blasts were very dangerous but the young goalie did well to stop them.

By the mid-half the hosts managed to level the game and push it away into the midfield. But in the 37th minute Loko’s high-speed players dismantled Torpedo’s defence into pieces. Maicon broke away one-on-one with the keeper who knocked him down. The referee pointed at the spot and Sychev realized a penalty.

In the beginning of the second half Torpedo grabbed the initiative and it was Lobantsev’s time again. A corner could prove dangerous but Miroslav fisted the ball away.

Despite high activity of the home team, the visitors controlled the game and soon doubled the lead. Dmitry Torbinsky blasted from outside the box, the keeper parried the ball right in front of himself and Felipe Caicedo was first to the ball setting the score at 2:0.

Shortly after that Slaven Bilic made his first change sending out Victor Obinna instead of Dmitry Loskov. The Nigerian immediately joined a dangerous attack making a good penetrating pass to Maicon but a defender tackled the Brazilian forward well.

But in the 73rd minute Lokomotiv scored the third goal. Sychev steamed into the penalty area and shot at the far bottom corner.

In the end of the game Lokomotiv could have been granted another penalty. Obinna dribbed several defenders and blasted from a mid-range position. The keeper parried the ball in front of himself and Victor was first to the ball, and the keeper knocked him down. He was shown the second yellow card but strangely enough the referee given Torpedo a free kick.

The rest of the match saw no opportunities and the game ended in the Railwaymen’s victory. In the Russian Cup 1/8 Finals we’re playing against FC Terek Grozny.

Torpedo – Lokomotiv 0:3 (0:1)

Goals: Sychev, 38 – pen. (0:1). Caicedo, 64 (0:2). Sychev, 73 (0:3).

Torpedo: Makoev, Gorelov, Pravilo, Kaitov, Mustafaev, Brovin, Petruk, Lusikyan, Verkashansky, Makhov, Shevchenko (Nesterenko, 68. Mamontov, 81).

Lokomotiv: Lobantsev, Burnash, Burlak, Belyaev, Ziegler, Ozdoev, Loskov (Obinna, 65), Torbinsky (Podberezkin, 74), Maicon, Sychev, Caicedo (Mullin, 82).

Yellow cards: Makoev, 37. Maicon, 75. Caicedo, 81.

Red cards: Makoev, 81.

Referee: German Kravchenko (Pskov).

September 26. Armavir.”Yunost” Stadium. 4000 spectators.