Imagine, the “Best League in the World” season will end at the end of this month. We will recognize two newcomers to the RPL, and on June 1, when the return transition matches will be played, perhaps another couple of new representatives of the elite division will be added to them. Meanwhile, let’s enjoy the events of the last days of the First League. There were many of them.
Let’s remember matchday 31 of the First League:
Practically everything is decided with the main candidate for promotion to the RPL. First League tour review
Tour team: Akron. Goal of the round: Nikita Glushkov (Akron)
What a fire! The battle of competitors for direct access to the RPL. It was a match named after Akron’s Nikita Glushkov. It is important to clarify the team, because Makhachkala also has its own Nikita Glushkov. A hat-trick by Tolyatti Glushkov gave Akron the victory. Furthermore, a hat-trick is a pleasure to behold. In the first half, Nikita reacted well to the rebound and interrupted the “dry” streak of Dynamo goalkeeper Timur Magomedov, who did not lose 669 minutes of play (a season record) and the last seven games.
The rights to the video belong to the AFC National Football League. The video can be seen on Akron’s Telegram channel.
Soslan Kagermazov tied the score in the 37th minute. At the beginning of the second half, Glushkov put a beauty into the Makhachkala goal. The protagonist of the match shook his rival and shot from a not very obvious position: clear and precise, achieving victory in the “Goal of the Tour” category. This ball will go to the “golden” bottom of the First League.
The rights to the video belong to the AFC National Football League. The video can be seen on the First League page on VKontakte.
And in the 63rd minute Glushkov made the decision in the area. He took the ball brilliantly and produced a spectacular volley. Dynamo lost three goals in a match for the first time in two years of participation in the First League. And all from one person. At the end of the match, Akron decided to get on the nerves of himself and his fans. The Tolyatti team was in the minority after the dismissal of Nemanja Andzhelkovich, but withstood the test.
It is also worth highlighting goalkeeper Sergei Volkov, who more than once helped Zaur Tedeev’s team. How the battle for the top of the rankings heats up! The Dynamo is in second place, but third-placed Akron is just two points behind and has a game in hand.
The rights to the video belong to the AFC National Football League. The video can be seen on Akron’s YouTube channel.
Other matches of matchday 32 of the First League
“Leningrad” – “Khimki”
In Roshchina, teams from different poles of the table met. “Khimki” is fighting to enter the RPL, “Leningradets” is trying to maintain its registration in the First League. The main hero of the match was Khimki footballer Arshak Koryan. He participated in all three goals for Andrei Talalaev’s team. In the first half, the midfielder scored a goal from a corner kick, which defender Zakhar Volkov headed in.
The rights to the video belong to the AFC National Football League. The video can be seen on the Khimki page on VKontakte.
In the second half, Koryan scored himself and helped one of the league’s best assistants, Butta Magomedov, do the same. Leningrad also found its own hero. 18-year-old Nikita Morozov appeared on the field in the 86th minute and immediately scored in the Khimki goal. This is his first goal in his debut match in the “Best League in the World”! As a result, the team from the Moscow region scored three points, which returned it to the top of the table.
The rights to the video belong to the AFC National Football League. The video can be seen on the Khimki page on VKontakte.
“KAMAZ” – “Homeland”
It is not an easy trip to Naberezhnye Chelny for Rodina, who is fighting for the joints of the RPL. It’s always difficult to get glasses out of this city. But the Muscovites managed to capture as many as three and won a decisive victory. The match was productive. The inhabitants of Chelny were the first to stand out. The ball should have entered the goal after a shot by Dmitry Starodub, but Roman Zashchepkin corrected it. He stood out for the second consecutive game.
The rights to the video belong to the AFC National Football League. The video can be seen on the KAMAZ telegram channel.
Daniil Kuznetsov, on loan from Rubin, immediately equalized the score. And at the end of the first half, former Lokomotiv player Daniil Kulikov sent the ball into the KAMAZ goal with a beautiful scissors shot. Chelny player Pavel Gorelov almost had no time to knock him down. In the second half, one of Rodina’s leaders, Astemir Gordyushenko, finished Kuznetsov’s pass (3:1). KAMAZ finished the match with few players after Artyom Gyurdzhan was sent off in the 73rd minute.
The rights to the video belong to the AFC National Football League. The video can be seen on the First League page on VKontakte.
Arsenal – Neftekhimik
The match was limited in terms of scoring possibilities. More danger arose at the gates of Neftekhimik. In the last match, Arsenal had two shots on goal, Nizhnekamsk – none. Tula advanced to the RPL play-off zone thanks to the goal of the league’s top scorer, Jonathan Okoronkwo. However, the next day he returned to fifth place. This was the Nigerian’s 16th goal this season in the First League.
But the ball is a bit controversial. The fact is that during the cross that took place in front of the goal, Dmitry Barkov seemed to hit the Neftekhimik defender Sagutkin, who lost his balance and fell. But he could have interrupted the cross. Also, last weekend Barkov scored the most important goal in the match against Rodina. Then it seemed that he played along before the decisive blow.
The rights to the video belong to the AFC National Football League. The video can be seen on the First League page on VKontakte.
“Sokol” – “Tyumen”
The teams played a good game, there were many shots. For Sokol now every match is like a final: Saratov fights to survive. And he managed to take three precious points. Already in the sixth minute, striker Artyom Maksimenko scored the first goal of this match. In the 32nd minute, Ilya Porokhov responded to this goal, who should move to Khimki in the summer.
The decisive episode occurred a few minutes later. The referee awarded a penalty against Tyumen for handball. And goalkeeper Egor Lyubakov shot from 11 meters! But Dmitry Sasin saved the penalty due to a premature run by Lyubakov, and this time successfully. “Tyumen” could not recover.
The rights to the video belong to the AFC National Football League. The video can be seen on the Tyumen page on VKontakte.
“Volgar” – “Chernomorets”
“Volgar” and “Chernomorets” are at the bottom of the standings. Astrakhan is in a difficult situation, because Denis Klyuev’s team is one of the main candidates for relegation. Chernomorets has also not yet secured the right to play in the First League next season, but the probability of relegation is low. It was even more interesting to follow their face-to-face meeting. Novorossiysk took the lead late in the first half when defender Denis Fomin opened the scoring with a long shot that looked more like a cross.
The rights to the video belong to the AFC National Football League. The video can be seen on the Chernomorets telegram channel.
At the end of the second half, Volgar managed to make the score 1:1 by converting a penalty. They definitely played for the tie in this match. But the 11 meter one is not the most obvious, one could even say controversial. And the goal was scored by former CSKA striker Timur Zhamaletdinov.
The rights to the video belong to the AFC National Football League. The video can be seen on the First League page on VKontakte.
“Yenisei” – “Kuban”
Sure victory for Andrei Tikhonov’s team. It seemed that the motivation level of “Kuban” should be higher than that of “Yenisey”. Still, there remained at least some possibility of maintaining the record in the First League. Krasnoyarsk now, in fact, does not have any important task in the tournament. Robert Evdokimov’s team held out for the first 40 minutes until goalkeeper Dmitry Ternovsky faltered. He missed a curious goal into his own goal after a shot by Yenisei captain Yegor Ivanov.
The rights to the video belong to the AFC National Football League. The video can be seen on the First League page on VKontakte.
In the second half, the Krasnodar team was more cheerful than in the first. But they never organized a single objective. But Krasnoyarsk’s top scorer did it. Alexander Lomakin scored his 12th goal this season. “Kuban” has not yet been officially relegated from the First League, but only Santa Claus can save it. And the New Year is not near.
The rights to the video belong to the AFC National Football League. The video can be seen on the First League page on VKontakte.
“Shinnik” – “SKA-Khabarovsk”
A confrontation between teams from the middle of the classification. They’re probably already thinking about next season. Although probably the most important thing for the Shinnik players was to present a gift to head coach Dmitry Cheryshev the day after his 55th birthday. And it was a success.
The Yaroslavl team scored in the 13th and 15th minutes of the match. Zinkov hit the goalkeeper with a shot from outside the penalty area, and Saus, Andreev and Samoilov played with three players, as a result of which the latter hit the empty goal of the Khabarovsk team. At the end of the match, SKA striker Said Aliyev headed in a cross from Kirill Nikitin. Shinnik won 2:1.
The rights to the video belong to the AFC National Football League. The video can be seen on Shinnik’s YouTube channel.
“Torpedo” – “Alania”
The most boring game of the tour. A neutral viewer is not interested in following these teams now, because none of them are fighting for the RPL or for survival. “Torpedo” and “Alania” did not even score a goal.
The only thing that probably deserves to be called a “dangerous moment” was Moscow striker Georgy Gongadze’s header from a free kick in the 86th minute. The ball flew close to the post. Congratulations to Yegor Baburin and Georgiy Natabashvili for their “cookies”. Kaleshin let Natabashvili play instead of Rostislav Soldatenko’s reinforced concrete first number.
The rights to the video belong to the AFC National Football League. The video can be seen on the Torpedo page on VKontakte.
Situations in the fight for the RPL
The highest of the First League classification
Photo: “Championship”
Here are the teams we can see in the RPL next season. In theory, Shinnik could also get fourth place, which would give him the right to participate in the play-offs, but this is a fantasy. The main favorite for direct ascent to the tower and first place is Khimki. Their schedule is simpler than Dynamo and Akron, and Talalaev’s team tops the table. Makhachkala, for example, will have to play with Rodina, and Akron with Arsenal.
True, Tula residents have problems obtaining a license to perform in the RPL. They haven’t solved it yet. If they can’t decide, then their potential playoff spot, and maybe even the top two, will go to the team lowest in line. Apparently, Khimki, Dynamo and Akron will fight for direct access to the RPL, and Rodina and Arsenal will fight for the last vacant place that will remain in the transition matches between the First League and RPL teams.
Designs in the fight for survival.
Last place in the First League classification
Photo: “Championship”
So far, “Kuban”, “Volgar” and “Leningradets” are flying. Krasnodar is expected to officially move into the Second League on Thursday, May 16. The postponed 24th round will end this day. Probably the main battle for survival awaits us in round 33, when Sokol and Volgar will face each other.
A fierce struggle is going on between the troika “Sokol” – “Volgar” – “Leningradets”. We will say goodbye to two of these teams. As for Chernomorets, it is difficult to imagine that they will lose their place in the First League. But for now we still don’t rule out Novorossiysk. Above is Torpedo. Car manufacturers have already ensured the preservation of the registry.
