League Play-Off

Stadion Kostroma
Spectators: 34 (Terracing: 26, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) An unexpectedly hard shot by Artem Kuzmin in the 3rd minute of play forced Volgodonsk's goalkeeper Gennadiy Gurkin to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. When Ruslan Stolyarov came up free with the goalie in the 5th minute, the Kostroma FC fans jumped to their feet. But the shot missed the goal by a fraction of an inch, and the fans sat back down disappointed that Ruslan Stolyarov couldn't finish the play. In the 7th minute, Vissarion Kudryashov hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Egor Migulya, 8 minutes into the match, dribbled the ball up the side of the field and decided to take a long shot at the goal. Unfortunately, the ball was poorly hit and landed closer to the corner than to the goal. In the 11th minute Anatoliy Dementiev shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Igor Grishin saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. In the 15th minute Boris Bystryantsev shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Gennadiy Gurkin saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. 0-1 became the score in the 20th minute when Ernest Bystrov elegantly shot the ball into goal just under the crossbar. In the 25th minute Boris Bystryantsev shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Gennadiy Gurkin saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Anatoliy Dementiev's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Igor Grishin read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 27th minute of play. After having played for 29 minutes, Ernest Bystrov managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Volgodonsk's supporters crossed their fingers, but Ernest Bystrov was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. After a defensive mix-up in Volgodonsk's zone, Artem Kuzmin stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Gennadiy Gurkin came out of the goal and Artem Kuzmin tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. Kostroma FC's Artem Kuzmin got a good chance for a goal in the 38th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. Kostroma FC's Boris Bystryantsev got a good chance for a goal in the 46th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. Even after changing tactics the home team jogged off the field with a 0-1 deficit. They would have to work harder if they wanted to turn things around in the second half.

Boris Bystryantsev fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 54th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Gennadiy Gurkin having to interfere. 59 minutes into the match, Volgodonsk's goal looked a bit too open when Artem Kuzmin came free, but Gennadiy Gurkin reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. With 61 minutes on the clock, Gleb Burlyaev commited a dangerous tackle. The referee had no choice but to show him the red card. In a very dangerous position, a player in Volgodonsk fell when an opponent tried to get the ball from him in the 61st minute. Penalty! The referee gave Kostroma FC a penalty, 64 minutes into the game. The penalty shot was made by Egor Migulya, who made a well placed shot into the net to the right of Volgodonsk's Gennadiy Gurkin. 1-1. When Volgodonsk's Ernest Bystrov, in the 68th minute, received a pass right in front of the net, it looked like a certain goal, but his shot went outside. A wasted opportunity for Volgodonsk. A collision led to Volgodonsk getting a freekick after 70 minutes play. Ernest Bystrov hit a great ball. 71 minutes into the match, Boris Bystryantsev had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Gennadiy Gurkin. Volgodonsk's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Boris Bystryantsev was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 2-1. Igor Grishin made a fantastic save in the 78th minute, when Ernest Bystrov sent off a good shot on target. Gennadiy Gurkin made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Artem Kuzmin in the 80th minute of play. Kostroma FC's Artem Kuzmin suffered a concussion in the 82nd minute, after a hard challenge, and had to leave the field. In the 81st minute, one of Volgodonsk: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 Volgodonsk. Gennadiy Gurkin showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Boris Bystryantsev in the 88th minute of the match. Gennadiy Gurkin showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Boris Bystryantsev, who was totally free with the ball in the 92nd minute. With a little luck, Kostroma FC's Igor Grishin got control of the ball when Ernest Bystrov tried to sneak it across the goal line. Kostroma FC's fans were exulted and cheered after their team won in a match that could easily have gone the other way.