League Play-Off

Khimki
Spectators: 35 (Terracing: 27, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) Dark clouds were building up when the players entered the field. None of the them looked very eager to play. Valeriy Shubin started the match with the kick off. Yaromir Radugin's shot straight on target was not completely harmless. The ball had pretty good speed, but Andrey Krutovskih firmly grabbed it by the left post. Valentin Romadin sent away a hard shot on goal in the 12th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. An unexpectedly hard shot by Valeriy Shubin in the 14th minute of play forced Neftekamsk's goalkeeper Andrey Krutovskih to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. 25 minutes into the game, Neftekamsk's Valentin Romadin nearly tore a hole in the net with a booming shot. Zinoviy Berezutskiy made a valiant effort, but he could not reach the ball in time, 0-1. Andrey Krutovskih was in the perfect position, and the defense had done a good job marking him, but Valeriy Shubin showcased his skills and made a perfect shot to score 1-1 in the 30 minute of play. Valeriy Shubin might have been able to make a better finish in the 34th minute when he tried to place a hard shot over Andrey Krutovskih. Instead the ball went over the crossbar and out. Valeriy Shubin ran back to his position shaking his head. After having played for 36 minutes, Yaromir Radugin managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Khimki FC's supporters crossed their fingers, but Yaromir Radugin was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. After 37 played minutes Neftekamsk got a freekick which was hit by Sergey Bernatskiy. Yaromir Radugin sent away a hard shot on goal in the 43rd minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. After the first half the score was level. The break gave the players a chance to catch their breath, whilst the managers went over the tactics with them again.

54 minutes into the game, Evgeniy Voronko was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. Neftekamsk's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave Khimki FC the free kick. In the 53rd minute, one of Neftekamsk:s players had the ball in front of the goal but got pushed and fell. The referee felt it was an obvious case and blew a penalty for Neftekamsk. Yaromir Radugin fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 62nd minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Andrey Krutovskih having to interfere. After some careless play in the Neftekamsk defense, Yaromir Radugin kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Andrey Krutovskih. The Neftekamsk fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Andrey Krutovskih should have stopped the shot. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Mikhail Taratorin during the 71st minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. 70 minutes into the game, one of Khimki FC:s players got tackled near the goal, and the referee blew for a penalty. With a little luck, Khimki FC's Zinoviy Berezutskiy got control of the ball when Aleksandr Denezhnyi tried to sneak it across the goal line. Valentin Romadin fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 78th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Zinoviy Berezutskiy having to interfere. When Ivan Melyanitskiy fell near the penalty area in the 79th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Khimki FC's protests and gave Ivan Melyanitskiy a yellow card for diving instead. Ivan Melyanitskiy hit a great freekick 79 minutes into the match. Aleksandr Denezhnyi could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 80th minute of the match, but Zinoviy Berezutskiy made a huge save. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Yaromir Radugin in the 82nd minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Andrey Krutovskih prevented the ball from getting in the gole. Khimki FC's Valeriy Shubin got a good chance for a goal in the 88th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. Andrey Krutovskih took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Yaromir Radugin, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Evgeniy Voronko kicked well hit freekick during the 98th minute of the match. 99 minutes into the match, Neftekamsk's goal looked a bit too open when Valeriy Shubin came free, but Andrey Krutovskih reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Yaromir Radugin sent away a hard shot on goal in the 100th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance.