Crossed Up Ural

Lokomotiv head coach Leonid Kuchik had to scratch his head picking the pair of defensive midfielders for a home clash with Ural. With Aleksandr Sheshukov disqualified and Lass Diarra injured, the manager installed Magomed Ozdoyev and Roman Shishkin to cover the area. Taras Mikhalik and the young Sergey Makarov remaind in the dugout, ready to step in at any moment.

The hosts soon showed they were going for it. In the 4th minute Mbark Boussoufa played a long cross to Aleksandr Samedov who approached an opponent and rolled further to Maicon. The Brazilian saw N'Doye in a perspective position and passed to him, the Senegalese took a shot but the visitors' keeper Zabolotniy tipped it away.

A minute later the Railwaymen could have earned a penalty when Samedov squeezed into the box and fell after a bodily contact with Novikov, but the referee paid no attention to it.

Ten minutes later Lokomotiv scored. Samedov crossed from the right wing, defender Belozyorov tried to block it but only confused his keeper and sent a clumsy ball home.

The Red-Greens pushed hard for a second goal and soon got it. Vitaliy Denisov took a good long throw-in that reached N'Doye in the box, and this time the forward made no mistake, leaving both his marker and the keeper gazing the ball in the back of the net.

The comfortable lead could have had a soothing effect but not this time. Samedov again crossed to Durica who headed right under the crossbar making Zabolotniy save his team again.

Nothing remarkable happened before the half-time, where both coaches introduced new names. Ural's Aleksandr Tarkhanov released Manucharyan, while Kuchuk sent out Sergey Tkachyov.

Sergey again proved to be Kuchuk's joker up the sleeve. Samedov earned a free kick that was taken by Tkachyov. The powerful strike went straight to the corner, Zabolotniy parried it in front of himself but no one of Lokomotiv was there to finish it.

Despite the hosts constantly attacked and used high pressing, the visitors tried to respond. In one episode, Tkachyov fouled near the box, Manucharyan bent it over the wall but Abayev managed to tip the ball away.

Fifteen minutes to the end of the game Sergey made the score big. Renat Yanbayev passed to the box, the defenders played awkwardly and allowed the ball come to Tkachyov who hit it first touch past the keeper right between the stands.

Late in the game, Lokomotiv locked Ural at their goal. Samedov started a counterattack but his pass to Roman Pavlyuchenko was bad. Soon Mikhalik finished the cross from the right wing but the ball went wide.

A couple of minutes before the final whistle Belozyorov saw a second yellow card and was sent away. Lokomotiv secured the score and a clean sheet and improved their leadership in the league.

Lokomotiv - Ural 3:0 (2:0)

Goals: Belozyorov, 13 – own goal (1:0). N'Doye, 15 (2:0). Tkachyov, 76 (3:0).

Lokomotiv: Abayev, Yanbayev, Corluka, Durica, Denisov, Shishkin, Ozdoyev (Mikhalik, 65), Samedov, Boussoufa (Tkachyov, 46), Maicon, N'Doye (Pavlyuchenko, 71).

Ural: Zabolotniy, Khozin, Dantsev, Novikov, Belozyorov, Shchanitsyn (Manucharyan, 46), Fidler, Yerokhin  (Stavpets, 65), Lungu, Gogniyev (Dorozhkin, 81), Koman.

Yellow card: Belozyorov, 58.

Red card: Belozyorov, 88 (second yellow card).

March 22. Moscow. Lokomotiv Stadium. 9 508 spectators.