The guests dispersed: Akron and Dynamo took a step to preserve their place in the RPL

The first play-off matches between the RPL and First League teams took place. Akron defeated Rotor on the road in the first transition match for the right to play in the RPL (2:0). Tolyatti forward Gilson Tavares Benshimol scored a double in the game. In another match, Dynamo Makhachkala beat Ural (1-0) in Yekaterinburg. The only goal of the match was scored by Makhachkala striker Miro in the 5th minute. The hosts tried to challenge the goal, but the referee of the match, Anton Frolov, scored the goal after a signal from the assistant and confirmed his decision after negotiations with the VAR. The return matches will be held on May 23rd.

Dzyuba's Return

By default, it is assumed that the representatives of the RPL are the favorites of the transition matches. A higher class of performers, more legionnaires, and experience playing games with a fundamentally different level of resistance. But then what about psychology? In this regard, the Rotor–Akron pair looked very revealing. After the winter appointment of Dmitry Parfenov, the Volgograd team scored 26 points, losing only to the winner of the Rodina tournament. And a series of 11 rounds without defeats is the best stretch for Volga Region coaches in the 21st century.

In turn, Akron, which earned a lot of compliments last season, fell off its peak in 2026. Just one win in 12 spring rounds and a failure on the final game day. Having the opportunity to avoid getting into the joints, the Tolyatti team failed the derby with the Wings of the Soviets, having already conceded four goals by halftime (1:4). The result is the resignation of Zaur Tedeev and the temporary appointment of his assistant coach Murat Iskakov to the post of head coach in order to shake up the team at a crucial moment. Such permutations are more about emotions. Although personnel decisions have been made.

In comparison with the previous match, one new player appeared in each line — Terekhovsky, Eshkoval, Bistrovich and Dzyuba. Parfenov also arranged the restructuring, partially adapting to the representative of the RPL. Rotor started the game according to an atypical scheme with three central defenders, which could be regarded as one of the recipes for neutralizing Dzyuba. Only the plan could have been broken already in the opening — after Artem's throw-out and discount, Maradishvili was hit. Volzhan saved Chagrov. Then Benshimol lacked precision, and it was only after half an hour of play that Rotor's rather daring actions began to bring real sharpness.

First, Aznaurov, who flashed with a dribble, saved the ball and brought Davidyan to the shot. Bokoyev managed to take over this attack, and the matter ended with a corner. When Davidyan fired from long range, Terekhovsky played reliably.

Nevertheless, these episodes turned out to be deceptive: the Volgograd team did not seize the advantage, and the end of the first half turned out to be unsuccessful for them. Eshkoval's not-so-good shot, when Fernandez took the corner, turned into an assist for Benschimola, who adjusted to the ball and sent it into the net from the summer. The forward, who brought Akron its only spring victory over Baltika, took the lead at the right moment.

And if this episode could still be considered an accident for the hosts, then the beginning of the second half of the match confirmed the ineffectiveness of the chosen plan. Dzyuba was able to save the ball in the second scoring attack, Fernandez hung in from the left, and Benshimol scored a double. The forward from Cape Verde did his job and gave way to Pestryakov on the field.

In turn, Rotor also tried to refresh the game in attack — Eldarushev failed to upset his former team, with whom he rose to the RPL through the joints two years ago. Aliev, who replaced him, who managed to score seven goals after transferring from Chernomorets in the spring part of the season, was the closest to soaking up the score, but the defender turned off the speed of the ball, and Terekhovsky took it in the near corner.

Parfenov will need to change something before the return match in Samara. Or at least roll back to the basic settings that worked in the First League. In any case, you will need to jump over your head. In the very first game, Akron proved to be too strong an opponent for Rotor, and the return of Dzyuba, who missed two rounds, was one of the key factors.

Quick goal

The Yekaterinburg team has a difficult relationship with the play-off matches. The season before last, Ural left the RPL, losing to Akron, which rose to the elite. After the home defeat in the first game, even the emergency measure of Viktor Goncharenko's resignation did not help. And a year ago, the bumblebees could not return to the top league following the results of the confrontation with Akhmat. Following a strong-willed home victory with Sekulich's double (2:1), a real drama happened in Grozny: the opponent scored the decisive goal in the third minute added by the referee (0:2). Moreover, the club from Chechnya exchanged Sergey Tashuev for Fedor Shcherbachenko before the return game.

Now, too, everything started unsuccessfully, but Ural remained true to itself in the sense that for the third time it allowed the opponent to open an account in a home play-off match. The first attack of the Makhachkala residents ended with a goal, which held back the initial onslaught of the bumblebees. Azzi sent the ball into the penalty area from the right, from where Agalarov gave a pass to Mubarik, and after hitting the crossbar, Miro scored on finishing. Visually, by the way, it initially seemed that Selikhov had knocked the ball off the goal line. However, the linesman signaled to the chief referee, after which no obvious error was found in the VAR room, although not a single replay was shown, based on which it would be possible to be 100% convinced that the referees were right.

Anyway, from the point of view of strategy, the debut turned out to be ideal for Vadim Evseev's team. Even giving the ball to Ural for quite long periods, Dynamo defended well. In fact, in the first 45 minutes, the visitors' defense allowed only one yawn, missing a free throw into the penalty area, but Leo Cordeiro could not reach the ball and tame it. But when the guests moved the game to half of the Ural field, there was much more specificity in their actions. Miro was close to a double, clipping the ball with his head after a corner kick by Mrezig. In this episode, the bumblebees were saved by a barbell, and then Selikhov helped out. The goalkeeper managed to pull the ball out of the corner where Agalarov was throwing it with the back of his head.

Nevertheless, Vasily Berezutsky went without substitutions during the break, while Glushkov replaced Dzhabrailov for the guests, and ten minutes after the start of the second half, Hosseinnejad replaced Agalarov in the attack. In general, the game was under the control of Dynamo, while the hosts failed to shake up the opponent's defensive formations in positional attacks. Nevertheless, Sekulic, with a pass to the penalty line, organized a promising moment for Cordeiro, only the ball fell off the Brazilian's foot. But even if he had been a little more accurate, Karabashev controlled the situation and managed to block the corner. In other promising episodes for the bumblebees, the Dynamo defenders saved the goalkeeper from serious work by taking the blows themselves.

However, at some point it began to seem that the Dagestani team was pressing too hard into their own penalty area. Alarm bells sounded periodically. For example, in the episode when Ishkov almost spun the ball, executing a shot from the corner of the penalty area. But, again, it didn't look like a full-fledged scoring opportunity. Yes, Ishkov's activity led to two warnings from the guests, but there was no global understanding of how to crack Dynamo's defenses. All that remained was to rely on the standards that were enough. Begic seemed to be waiting for his chance at the corner, but the shot turned out to be inaccurate, and in the time added by the referee, Ishkov was given an inconvenient pass in a really promising attack.

Playing in the joints for the third time, Ural started them with a home defeat for the second time. And Dynamo has made a confident step towards maintaining its registration in the RPL in the classroom.