The bronze fume: how CSKA got away from losing the derby with Lokomotiv

The penultimate 29th round of the Russian Football Championship finished late on Monday with the Moscow derby between Lokomotiv and CSKA. Having won back from 0:2, the Army team achieved a draw (2:2) and continue to go in third place, but on Saturday, according to the results of the last 30th round, they may be ahead of Dynamo Moscow and Spartak. On the same day, it will become clear who will win the gold — Krasnodar or Zenit St. Petersburg.

Around the third place

Lokomotiv was stuck in sixth place, having failed the spring part of the season, although back in November it was in the leadership group and was near the first line. But numerous point losses in the second round led to the fact that Mikhail Galaktionov's team lost all chances of medals. But she could make up for the failure by climbing into the top five. To do this, it was necessary to defeat CSKA.

The Army team is the most successful club of the spring season. They didn't lose in the championship for a long time, which helped them rise from sixth place to third. In addition, Marko Nikolic's team reached the Superfinal of the Russian Cup. The final of the "RPL Way" with Zenit St. Petersburg turned out to be especially dramatic for them. Having lost 0-2 away in the first match, CSKA managed to win the second leg with a similar score, scoring the second goal in the last minutes. This allowed the match to be converted into a penalty shootout, where the red and blue won (4:3).

This second leg happened last week on Wednesday, and four days earlier, CSKA scored an important home victory in the championship over the leading Krasnodar (1-0), becoming the favorite in the fight for the bronze. However, in the derby with Loko, it immediately became clear that it would not be easy to continue the super-successful stretch.

During the first half, Lokomotiv led 2-0 due to two goals from Dmitry Vorobyov. This allowed the Railwaymen to control the course of the match, but at the beginning of the second half, CSKA reduced the gap — Saul Guarirapa scored the ball. This led to a very nervous ending to the game for the red-greens. They mostly defended for almost the entire second half, and the Army team increased the pressure. And in the 80th minute, Matvey Kislyak leveled the score with a shot from outside the penalty area.

Lokomotiv lost its chances to rise above sixth place. CSKA scored the same number of points with Dynamo, but is ahead of it in the table due to personal meetings. Spartak is two points behind third place.

—Lokomotiv played a good first half, it was great," Nikolai Naumov, former president of the Railwaymen, shared his opinion with Izvestia. — But then there was a disastrous second half. And CSKA showed character again, managing to turn the tide of the meeting, gaining the necessary point for themselves and staying in third place. I think the army men will not miss the medal now and will take their own. And Loko failed the spring. If he had played more often like in the first half against CSKA, everything could have turned out better for him. But now there is complete disappointment from the results of the team that was in the lead in the first round.

In the last round, Dynamo is going to visit Krasnodar, which is leading the championship and is close to gold. CSKA will host Pari Nizhny Novgorod, while Spartak will face Khimki at home.

The championship intrigue

Krasnodar is just one point ahead of Zenit St. Petersburg. Both leaders scored difficult away wins in the last round. Krasnodar won against Orenburg (2:1), and Zenit — against Rostov (1:0). The St. Petersburg club will end the season with a home match against Akhmat Grozny.

"The intrigue at the finish of the championship is encouraging," Dmitry Bulykin, a former Dynamo and Lokomotiv Moscow striker, said in a conversation with Izvestia. — It's always great if the champion is determined only in the last round. This has been happening for the second year in a row. And then there's the fight for third place, which will go on to the last. And in the case of gold, and in the case of bronze, it is impossible to predict the final winner.

Also, following the results of the 29th round, Orenburg lost its chance to escape from relegation to the first league - together with Voronezh Fakel, it directly leaves the RPL. Akhmat, who is in 14th place, will definitely play in the transition matches. The second ticket to the joints will go to the team that finishes on the 13th line. So far, it is occupied by Pari Nizhny Novgorod, but in its place may be Samara Krylia Sovetov, Khimki and Makhachkala Dynamo.

Kaliningrad Baltika has already joined the RPL directly from the first league. Torpedo Moscow can join it if it draws at home with KAMAZ from Naberezhnye Chelny in the last 34th round. If Avtozavodtsy lose, they may be outpaced by Novorossiysk Chernomorets, which will need to defeat Sochi. In the meantime, Novorossiysk and Sochi are in the transition zone. From there, they can be squeezed out by Ural Yekaterinburg, which occupies the fifth place.