League Play-Off

Stadion Petrozavodsk
Spectators: 35 (Terracing: 27, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) Blagoveshchensk FC's Arkadiy Polyakov started the match with a crisp pass. The crowd had been anticipating this game for weeks and the excitement in the stadium was easily visible. Arseniy Shiryaev received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 9th minute. Mikhail Kabanov tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. 12 minutes into the match, Blagoveshchensk FC's goalkeeper Mikhail Kabanov had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by Arseniy Shiryaev. Petrozavodsk's Mikhail Motyl played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Timofey Netishinskiy in the 16th minute of play. The crowd rose to their feet as Petrozavodsk's Mark Larin slotted home a wonderful shot that went in to the left of Mikhail Kabanov. That made the score 1-0 after 18 minutes of play. After 21 played minutes Petrozavodsk got a freekick which was hit by Arseniy Shiryaev. After a defensive mix-up in Blagoveshchensk FC's zone, Mark Larin stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Mikhail Kabanov came out of the goal and Mark Larin tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. If Arseniy Shiryaev had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 27th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Timofey Netishinskiy struck a weak shot in the 30th minute. Mikhail Motyl didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Blagoveshchensk FC. 36 minutes into the match, Arkadiy Polyakov had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Mikhail Motyl. Petrozavodsk's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Arkadiy Polyakov was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 1-1. The audience thought a goal was coming when Arseniy Shiryaev got free with Mikhail Kabanov in the 41st minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. David Runov charged in rather forcefully in the 46th minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed David Runov the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. In the 46th match minute, Petrozavodsk was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by David Runov to maneuver through the defense. After a very even first half the match was still tied. The players went to their respective dressing rooms to discuss the tactics for the second half.

The wind increased when Mark Larin made the kick off in the second half. 52 minutes into the game, Petrozavodsk's Mark Larin nearly tore a hole in the net with a booming shot. Mikhail Kabanov made a valiant effort, but he could not reach the ball in time, 2-1. Mark Larin sent away a hard shot on goal in the 60th minute, but the ball hit the crossbar and went out. A very good chance for a goal. After a rather tough play, Blagoveshchensk FC's Georgiy Chibisov got a free kick in the 62nd minute. If Mark Larin had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 64th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Mikhail Motyl didn't have a chance when a screaming shot from Arkadiy Polyakov went, in the 73rd minute, to the upper right corner, 2-3 was the resulting score. With a little luck, Petrozavodsk's Mikhail Motyl got control of the ball when Timofey Netishinskiy tried to sneak it across the goal line. The audience was convinced that Mark Larin's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Mikhail Kabanov was relentless in the 82nd minute of the game. If Arkadiy Polyakov had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 87th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Mark Larin received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 91st minute. Mikhail Kabanov tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. Petrozavodsk's Pavel Nurmuhametov suffered a sore thigh after 93 minutes and couldn't finish the game. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Oskar Artemenkov during the 93rd minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. A collision led to Blagoveshchensk FC getting a freekick after 94 minutes play. Oskar Artemenkov hit a great ball. The referee blew the final whistle, and the away crowd roared, having watched Blagoveshchensk FC eke out a victory against a very well matched opponent.