League Play-Off

Stadion Velikie Luki
Spectators: 34 (Terracing: 26, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) In the 7th minute the ball was on its way in behind Novotroitsk's goalkeeper Oskar Timoshkin, but with the help of a sacrificing defense, he could catch the ball at the crossbar. Denis Dvorskiy could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 9th minute of the match, but Oskar Timoshkin made a huge save. After 11 minutes, Nikolay Yashin mouthed his way into the referee's book. The tension between the Novotroitsk and the Velikie Luki players grew even worse after the yellow card. In the 11th minute, Nikolay Yashin hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. An unexpectedly hard shot by Igor Bratskih in the 14th minute of play forced Velikie Luki's goalkeeper Konstantin Golikov to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. 28 minutes into the match, Velikie Luki's goal looked a bit too open when Nikolay Yashin came free, but Konstantin Golikov reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Oskar Timoshkin made a fantastic save in the 31st minute, when Denis Dvorskiy sent off a good shot on target. In the 32nd match minute, Novotroitsk was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Gerasim Kukalev to maneuver through the defense. Denis Dvorskiy's shot when he came free in front of the goal in the 35thth minute, Oskar Timoshkin skillfully showed off with a save to what seemed to be an obvious goal. After having played for 40 minutes, Igor Bratskih managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Novotroitsk's supporters crossed their fingers, but Igor Bratskih was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. After 45 played minutes Velikie Luki got a freekick which was hit by Vladlen Semin. Nikolay Yashin sent away a hard shot on goal in the 47th minute, but the ball hit the crossbar and went out. A very good chance for a goal. The fans had the chance to grab some refreshments as the whistle went for half-time. The score stood at 0-0 after a close first half.

When the second half was about to start, both teams quickly lined up and Igor Bratskih made a kick off. Novotroitsk's attacker deliberately struck the ball against an opponent to win a corner for his team. The corner was taken by Nikolay Savischev in the 54th minute. Nikolay Shishkarev was in a good position and managed to take a shot, but he missed just to the outside of the post. A collision led to Novotroitsk getting a freekick after 54 minutes play. Nikolay Shishkarev hit a great ball. If Felix Dyachkov had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 61st minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Denis Dvorskiy's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Oskar Timoshkin read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 63rd minute of play. After having played for 72 minutes, Denis Dvorskiy managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Velikie Luki's supporters crossed their fingers, but Denis Dvorskiy was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. 74 minutes into the match, Novotroitsk's goal looked a bit too open when Denis Dvorskiy came free, but Oskar Timoshkin reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. In the 77th minute, Vladlen Semin hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. The audience thought a goal was coming when Nikolay Yashin got free with Konstantin Golikov in the 81st minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. Felix Dyachkov took the ball and in the 97 minute, shot a rapid shot to the right of a surprised Konstantin Golikov. Konstantin Golikov dived to the right, and did manage to get a hand on the shot, but it still went into the right corner making it 0-1. Novotroitsk played a much better game than Velikie Luki and deserved their victory. The Velikie Luki players were clearly disappointed as they left the ground.