League Play-Off

ВЭБ Арена
Spectators: 34 (Terracing: 26, 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. Fedor Orekhov started the match with the kick off. If Fedor Orekhov had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 3rd minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Oleg Koptsev fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 4th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Egor Churakov having to interfere. Egor Churakov made an important save on a dangerous shot by Leonid Basaev in the 6th minute. 7 minutes into the game, Oleg Koptsev recieved a splendid long ball, split the defenders, and gently placed the ball to the left of Egor Churakov. Oleg Koptsev showed that you don't have to tear a hole in the net to score, 1-0. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Boris Lemenev during the 17th minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. In the 18th minute there was a penalty for Saint Petersburg. Zinoviy Sergin stepped forward and shot the ball to the right of a diving Demyan Dubinin. 1-1. Rostislav Goncharov hit a great freekick 23 minutes into the match. If Stanislav Aleksinskiy had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 30th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Leonid Basaev received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 32nd minute. Egor Churakov tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. 33 minutes into the match, Stanislav Emelyanov notched a goal, 1-2, to the right of FC CSKA's Demyan Dubinin. Demyan Dubinin was clearly disgusted with the effort of the defense and let the defenders know about it. In the 38thth minute of the game Rostislav Deineko who was perfectly placed tried to make a shot on goal, but FC CSKA's Demyan Dubinin was lucky and managed to grab hold of the ball. Egor Churakov showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Fedor Orekhov, who was totally free with the ball in the 44th minute. With a little luck, Saint Petersburg's Egor Churakov got control of the ball when Oleg Koptsev tried to sneak it across the goal line. Disappointed in the 1-2 score, the home team went to the dressing room to adjust tactics for the second half.

Leonid Basaev recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 51st minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. Leonid Basaev took the ball and in the 56 minute, shot a rapid shot to the right of a surprised Egor Churakov. Egor Churakov dived to the right, and did manage to get a hand on the shot, but it still went into the right corner making it 2-2. Oleg Koptsev took the ball and in the 59 minute, shot a rapid shot to the right of a surprised Egor Churakov. Egor Churakov dived to the right, and did manage to get a hand on the shot, but it still went into the right corner making it 3-2. Egor Churakov made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Oleg Koptsev in the 63rd minute of play. Saint Petersburg's Egor Churakov played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Yaroslav Soloviev in the 66th minute of play. FC CSKA's Fedor Orekhov got a good chance for a goal in the 67th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. Demyan Dubinin showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Stanislav Aleksinskiy, who was totally free with the ball in the 69th minute. In the 74th minute, Saint Petersburg's Konstantin Bystritskiy seemed to kick out at an opponent. The referee saw this and, surprisingly, showed Konstantin Bystritskiy the red card, dismissing him from the pitch. The coaching staff of Saint Petersburg protested bitterly, but the referee would have none of it, and Konstantin Bystritskiy had no choice but to slowly walk off the pitch. After 73 minutes of play, the referee blew the whistle. It was a penalty for Saint Petersburg! After a defensive mix-up in Saint Petersburg's zone, Oleg Koptsev stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Egor Churakov came out of the goal and Oleg Koptsev tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. Egor Churakov didn't have a chance when a screaming shot from Oleg Koptsev went, in the 84th minute, to the upper right corner, 5-2 was the resulting score. Zinoviy Sergin kicked well hit freekick during the 88th minute of the match. Oleg Koptsev fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 89th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Egor Churakov having to interfere. Egor Churakov made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Oleg Koptsev in the 91st minute of play. When Prokl Bondarenko fell near the penalty area in the 92nd minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Saint Petersburg's protests and gave Prokl Bondarenko a yellow card for diving instead. After a rather tough play, Saint Petersburg's Prokl Bondarenko got a free kick in the 92nd minute. After having played for 94 minutes, Leonid Basaev managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. FC CSKA's supporters crossed their fingers, but Leonid Basaev was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. Saint Petersburg's players left the field with heads hung low after losing a match that had been finely balanced throughout.