13th round of RFPL results. "dark horses" RFPL

Hello, dear readers! I am starting a review of the 13th round of the Russian Football Championship. We start with the match between Grozny Akhmat and Moscow Spartak. In the first minutes, the game was basically equal: the teams exchanged chances. But at 30
minute Denis Glushakov, playing a small wall with Quincy Promes, and then
Having received a return pass, he opened the scoring. 0-1. After that the game changed a little.
I would say it has become more equal. Akhmat began to attack more and had several chances to level the score. However, the score did not change again before the break. 0-1. In the second half, Akhmat continued to look for his chances and in the 60th minute
A penalty was awarded against Spartak and Rodolfo converted it. So the score became
1-1. However, in the next attack Spartak again took the lead: Glushakov
passed to Adriano, who passed to Melgarejo and he again brought Spartak ahead. 1-2. After that, Mbenga, Akhmat's striker, had a chance to get back, but he hit the crossbar. As a result - 1-2 in favor of Spartak. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wajzyXGV1Uw
The next match is Dynamo Moscow-SKA-Khabarovsk. Dynamo started to become more active. Already
in the 18th minute Sergei Tashaev opened the scoring. 1-0. After this, Dynamo had complete
advantage in chances, had full control of the initiative, created chances. The Khabarovsk team counter-attacked more. In the second half, the most dangerous moments were
arise closer to the end: in the 75th minute, Khabarovsk defender Dmitry Grishko took a dangerous shot at the Dynamo goal, but hit the crossbar. And at 78 minutes it’s cool
Alexander Tashaev scored with a long-range strike, making the score 2-0. After this especially
There were no dangerous moments in this game - 2-0 in favor of Dynamo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkaEx0iiHw8
Ekaterinburg Ural hosted Makhachkala Anzhi. The first dangerous moment arose at the Ural gate in the 12th minute, when the Makhachkala team hit the post. After that, the Makhachkala residents took over the initiative a little and had a couple of dangerous moments
in order to open an account. However, the score was not opened before the break. The Makhachkala team started the second half more actively, there they had one attack when they
They hit both the post and the crossbar, but the goal never happened. And at 56
minute, Ural earned a free kick at the Anzhi goal and Bikfalvi opened the scoring. In the next
30 minutes did not bring any super dangerous moments. And in the 87th minute there was a great shot
Vladimir Ilyin scored from long range, so the score became 2-0. Literally a minute later, the Makhachkala residents were entitled to a corner, and Sergei Bryzgalov reduced
the gap in the score was 2-1, but the Anzhi players were not enough for more. 2-1 - victory for the Urals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drFeImubtTI
The next 4 matches ended with the same score 1-0. Krasnodar at home
hosted by CSKA. And alas, Krasnodar lost 0-1. So it's already
third loss in a row for Krasnodar. Although in the first half Krasnodar
looked no worse than CSKA. Krasnodar attacked a lot, created chances, and
there was a feeling that Krasnodar was outplaying CSKA. It’s just that it’s not enough to create chances, you have to score goals. Well, if you don’t score, they’ll score on you. And at 38 minutes
Alexey Berezutsky scored the most ridiculous goal against Krasnodar, with a rebound, it’s not clear how, but he scored. In the second half, the game was absolutely equal, chances arose, both at both ends, but the score did not change again. 0-1 - CSKA victory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH7ZTX_thiE
Ufa Prinymaa Moscow Lokomotiv. The result of this match is quite unexpected:
The Ufa team won with a score of 1-0. It cannot be said that there were many moments in this match that are worth describing in detail. In this match there was more struggle, more clashes, some moments like this. Someone to single out in this match,
In principle, it is also impossible to say that someone plays better and someone plays worse. That's why
I will only say that Ufa won with a score of 1-0, the decisive goal was scored in the 76th minute by Sylvester Igboun. 1-0 - Ufa wins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hbl-xtQY0ck
Rostov hosted Rubin. The Rostovites began to become more active. In the first half, the Rostovites constantly pressed. Rubin had no chance even for a good counter-attack.
At the end of the first half, the Rostovites had the right to a penalty, however
goalkeeper Rubina Dzhanaev beat Mayer. Thus, the teams went to break
with the score 0-0. And in the second half Rubin scored: in the 67th minute Jan M"Vila scored
scored after a corner kick. 0-1. After that, Rostov again had the advantage, again creating chances, both from play and from standard positions. However, the score did not change again - 0-1 - Rubin's victory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU0gWb8G1gg
But St. Petersburg Zenit quite unexpectedly lost to Tula Arsenal. From the first minutes, Zenit went ahead. Zenit are favorites in the match
seized the advantage and began to create moment after moment. Apart from one set piece at the Zenit goal in the first half, the first half
completely remained with Zenit. The second half also began with Zenit attacks. On
In the 51st minute, Branislav Ivanovic scored a goal against Arsenal, but the referee canceled it
this goal. Zenit continued to go forward, and a few minutes later Dziuba scored a goal,
again after a cross from a free kick, but the referee again canceled it due to offside. And on
In the 73rd minute, Arsenal striker Kangwa opened the scoring. Thus, Arsenal led
0-1. After that, Zenit created several more dangerous chances, but the score did not change again. 0-1 - Arsenal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N74ectpV_J4
And the last match of this review. Perm Amkar and Tosno, Leningrad region.
This match ended in a draw 0-0, the Permians had more chances in this match,
Tosno players rather counter-attacked more, but in the end no goals were scored. draw 0-0.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oueBovSLSpo
Tournament table after 13 rounds.
1) Zenit - 28
2) Locomotive - 26
3) CSKA - 24
4) Krasnodar - 21
5) Spartak - 20
6) Ural - 19
7) Ruby - 17
8) Arsenal -17
9) Akhmat - 17
10) Ufa - 17
11) Rostov - 16
12) Amkar - 15
13) Dynamo - 13
140 Tosno - 13
15) SKA-Khabarovsk - 11
16) Anzhi - 9

Which will be held in Russia for the first time in history. In this regard, the 26th season in the top division will be compressed in time and will end 2-3 weeks earlier than usual. As a result, physical training, especially in the spring part of the championship, comes to the fore, since teams will often have to play two matches in a week, not counting the Russian Cup.

The RFPL 2017-2018 has not undergone major changes in terms of format and scoring system. The only nuance will be the opportunity to play in the Champions League qualification for the team that took third place in the table at the end of the championship. The fight in the championship will only become fiercer, because the chance to compete in one of the most prestigious tournaments in the Old World means both solid bonuses and good financial support for the club.

The top division of football will still have 16 teams playing in the upcoming season. The RFPL is scheduled to begin on July 13, 2017, and the competition will end on May 13, 2018. For the sixth season in a row, the Russian Championship is being held according to the “autumn-spring” system, which implies a long winter break. The tournament will be divided into two parts:

• 19 rounds will take place from July 13 to December 19, 2017;
• 11 rounds will be played from March 4 to May 13, 2018.

The winner of the tournament automatically enters the group stage of the Champions League; second and third places also guarantee participation in this tournament. The teams that are in fourth and fifth place according to the results of the RFPL 2017-2018 will take part in the second most prestigious club competition - the Europa League.

Teams that find themselves in the last two lines in the table (that is, 15 and 16) automatically move to the division with a lower rank - . Positions 13 to 14 give the right to fight for the right to remain in the country's football elite with the third and fourth FNL teams. There are two games (on the home field and in the opponent’s arena), the results of which determine who will play in the next season of the Premier League and who will go to travel around the small towns and villages of our vast Motherland. If during the main time of the play-off matches the winner cannot be identified, two additional halves of 15 minutes each are assigned, and then a penalty shootout.

The schedule of matches of the 13th round of the RFPL 2017-2018 is as follows:

The RFPL standings after 12 rounds played look like this:

New clubs in the RFPL

At the end of the 2016-2017 season, a number of teams fought for the right to remain in the top division of football. Tom and Krylya Sovetov were the most unlucky, as they were relegated to the FNL from the last two places in the table. “Orenburg” and Tula “Arsenal” took part in the play-offs, but only the last squad managed to maintain their registration in the elite. SKA-Khabarovsk knocked Orenburg out of the Premier League in a penalty shootout and will compete with the best football teams in the country in the upcoming season. In addition, the following teams joined the Russian Championship:

• Dynamo (Moscow);
• "Tosno" (Leningrad region).

As for SKA-Khabarovsk, the club itself probably did not expect entry into the 2017-2018 RFPL. This summer, 9 players involved in reaching the Russian Championship left the team at once. Most of them have expired contracts, which the bosses of the Far Eastern club did not renew. So far, only midfielder Savichev from Spartak-2 has been purchased to replace the departed players. So far, SKA-Khabarovsk is located dangerously close to the relegation zone, and the team cannot successfully resist skilled opponents from the Premier League with only one youth in its composition. According to experts, in order to be guaranteed to remain among the elite of Russian football, a club needs to score at least 30 points. It is still unclear how SKA-Khabarovsk will do this, but there is still time to correct the situation, and the fans are waiting for a clear game from the players.

The legendary Moscow Dynamo, after an inglorious departure from the Russian championship in the 2015-2016 season, won the FNL and returned to the elite. Despite financial difficulties, new contracts were signed with all key players. In addition, to strengthen the attack, striker Vanderson was acquired from Krasnodar. Among the significant purchases of the blue and white, we also note midfielder Sou from Kayserispor, defender Shunjic from Stuttgart, striker Panchenko, the rights to which were purchased from the capital. It is obvious that in the new RFPL draw, Yuri Kolitvintsev’s team set themselves the highest goals, but they are unlikely to be able to aim for the top three. The team is in a serious crisis, which has pushed it into the relegation zone. The situation was aggravated by the demarche of fans who refused to support the club indefinitely. In such a situation, Dynamo will have to show character, otherwise at the end of the championship they will again have to pack their bags for the second strongest division.

FC Tosno has become one of the most active newsmakers in the transfer market. The team was strengthened by several inexpensive, but quite competitive in the Premier League, players. For example, the goalkeeper line was completely updated: Gutor, Yurchenko, Oparin - now the team from the Leningrad region is not afraid of the last line. Tosno's attack will be played by forward Vukushevich, who transferred from Greuther-Fürth, and Melkadze, loaned from Spartak. The defensive line and midfield have been significantly updated: Tosno also has no problems here. The club's management, making such significant acquisitions, probably counted on at least the top ten in the standings, but the reality turned out to be harsher. The team failed to achieve its intended goal, and after 12 rounds it is in the play-off zone.

Title Contenders

Unlike, where at least six teams compete for first place, in the Premier League this number is much smaller. If not the championship, then the following teams will definitely be vying for the top spots in the 2017-2018 RFPL standings:

• "CSKA" (Moscow);
• "Spartak Moscow);
• "Krasnodar"
• Zenit (St. Petersburg).

St. Petersburg Zenit is seriously targeting the championship in the upcoming RFPL. After an unsuccessful performance in the 2016-2017 season, when the team only won third place, the club's management made drastic changes. Firstly, the Romanian coach Mircea Lucescu was fired, and he was replaced by Roberto Mancini, experienced from working in the leading clubs in Europe. Secondly, Zenit did not spare money on strengthening. Obviously, with such significant financial injections, the bosses of the team from the banks of the Neva are counting on both a successful performance in the Europa League and another title in the main football division of Russia.

In the off-season, the army team did not make any major acquisitions, but extended contracts with key players (Ignashevich and Fernandez). Obviously, CSKA believes that proven players are better than dubious reinforcements. However, it wouldn’t hurt to add a scoring forward to Viktor Goncharenko’s squad. The bet is on Vitinho, who, although he has improved recently, it is obvious that in important matches he is “eaten up” by tenacious defenders. As a result, we have to play with the same squad in the Russian Championship and the Champions League. This affects the play of Viktor Goncharenko’s team, which has so far secured fourth place in the standings.

The current champion of the 2016-2017 RFPL, Spartak, was systematically preparing to defend the title. Rumors about the transfer of coach Massimo Carrera have been dispelled: the Italian specialist will work at least until the end of the season. It is almost impossible to predict how Spartak will perform this season, since the club will have to play on two fronts - in the domestic championship and in the group stage of the Champions League. At the moment, neither here nor there the red and white have been able to demonstrate their full potential. In the RFPL, the club is in sixth place, and the gap from first-place Zenit has already reached 11 points.

The game of Krasnodar this season pleases the fans. Igor Shalimov's team was second for a long time, and only disappointing defeats in the last two rounds pushed the team to third place. The “Bulls” urgently need to work on their mistakes and systematically prepare for each match, especially since the club is not burdened with performances on the international stage. In the current RFPL draw, under certain circumstances, Krasnodar can aim for the top three, which will allow it to play in the Champions League for the first time in 2018-2019.

"Dark horses" of the Russian Premier League

In addition to CSKA, Spartak, Zenit, there are several teams in the RFPL that are capable of “shooting” and getting into the fight for the top three. The list of such clubs should include:

• "Rostov";
• "Akhmat"
• "Rubin Kazan);
• "Lokomotiv" (Moscow).

After last year's relatively unsuccessful performance in the Russian Championship, dramatic changes took place in Rostov. Leonid Kuchuk came to the coaching bridge, after which a thorough cleaning of the roster began. So, for example, Noboa was sold to Zenit, they did not renew the contracts with Cesar Navas, Dzhanaev, Devich. To replace them, seven new players were purchased (Makeev, Parshivlyuk, Abaev, Pesyakov) and, according to rumors, it is planned to buy 3-4 more players to strengthen them. In general, we will no longer see the old Rostov: a renewed team has appeared before the fans. Kuchuk quickly managed to establish team interactions, and Rostov ended up in seventh place with a minimal gap from the European Cup zone.

Akhmat changed its coaching staff in the off-season: Oleg Kononov was appointed to the post of helmsman, but this did not bring stability. At the start of the championship, the club suffered a protracted series of four defeats, which did not allow it to rise above fifth place. Akhmat's squad is combat-ready, so if there are no downturns in the game, the team can count on getting into the Europa League at the end of the 2017-2018 championship.

Rubin Kazan also changed their head coach in the off-season. Kurban Berdyev replaced Javier Gracia, who failed the last championship. The strengthening of the squad was insignificant - only Ozdoev, Garnet and a number of little-known football players were bought. If we look at the club's prospects in the top division, they are very vague: from the first rounds the team accustomed its fans to inconstancy. Most likely, in the current season, Rubin will remain average, and the fruits of the work of one of the best coaches in Russia will appear next season.

Unlike Rubin, Lokomotiv Moscow, thanks to its victory in the Russian Cup, will represent the country in the Europa League this season. To fight on two fronts, the “railwaymen” had too short a bench, so to strengthen them in the off-season, they extended the loan with striker Ari, returned defender Shishkin from his loan from Krasnodar and signed a full-fledged contract with midfielder Denisov. Loko has an excellent chance of getting into the top three, especially since the Miranchuk brothers, Manuel Fernandes, and Guilherme are demonstrating excellent performances. The result of the well-coordinated work of the coaching staff and players was an intermediate second place in the RFPL.

Fight for survival

In addition to SKA-Khabarosk, there are several other teams in the elite of Russian football that experts classify as outsiders of the championship. The following teams will fight for the right to remain in the RFPL 2018-2019:

• "Anji"
• "Tosno";
• "Dynamo";
• "SKA-Khabarovsk";
• Arsenal (Tula).

“Dynamo”, “Khabarovsk” and “Tosnets” were mentioned earlier, but we should talk about “Anzhi” separately. The team from Makhachkala did not play well at the start of the tournament, and only with the arrival of Vadim Skripchenko as coach did the players begin to show good play. Two draws with Spartak and Zenit put local fans in a positive mood, but the team still has a lot of work to do to escape the relegation zone.

Arsenal Tula, which won the right to remain in the first division in the last RFPL play-off, has changed its head coach. Miodrag Bozovic is no stranger to pulling football teams from the bottom of the standings, and it looks like in the current edition the Serbian specialist will have to show all his rescue skills again. Relying on Bozovic's coaching genius is at least dangerous: you can even end up below the play-off zone.

Interesting facts about the RFPL 2017-2018

It’s probably interesting to know a few facts about the Premier League:

• the RFPL will be “rebranded” in the new draw;
• football club "Terek" (Grozny) was renamed to "Akhmat";
• The league management will actively promote the RFPL brand abroad;
• The RFU is seriously thinking about tightening the limit on foreign players to 5 players;
• the number of clubs in the top division may be reduced to 14 (but not earlier than 2018).

Although football in Russia is represented not only by the Premier League, which is scheduled to begin on July 13, 2017, the most interesting events will take place here. This tournament is not as spectacular as, for example, the German Championship, but in it the teams sometimes demonstrate high-quality play that is worthy of the attention of fans. Don't miss the start of the competition, which promises to be exciting, uncompromising and unpredictable.

For more information about the stadiums of the teams participating in the 2016-2017 Premier League, see the following video:

Match schedule, TV broadcasts, information about injuries and disqualifications, tentative lineups, bookmaker quotes, competition forecast - a guide to the 13th round of the RFPL from Sport Day by Day.

Forecast competition. “Sport Day by Day” against the experts of BC “Baltbet”/baltbet.ru

Starting from the third round, as part of a special project dedicated to forecasts for football matches, journalists from the Publishing House compete with leading specialists from the BaltBet bookmaker. So far the bookmakers are winning. At the end of the 12th round, their lead remained intact - Moscow correspondent Yegor Prokudin ended the match with Vadim Posashkov in a fighting draw. Now they are being replaced by sports games department correspondent Oleg Evstifeev and BC BaltBet expert Sergey Karpov.

Let us remind you that three points are awarded for an accurately predicted score, two points for a guessed difference, and one point for a correctly named outcome of the match.

12th round

Egor Prokudin - Vadim Posashkov - 3:3

Total score: 63:70

Oleg Evstifeev:

- Spartak began to recover from the painful shock after the injuries at the beginning of the season. The red-whites need a bright victory more than ever, and Massimo Carrera is sensitive to such moments. Surprisingly unstable Akhmat risks losing more points at home, although it would be safer to bet on both teams scoring. Lokomotiv still has enough strength to strain Zenit in the championship race, and Ufa is sorely lacking in quality forwards. The game between the blue-white-blues and Arsenal is very interesting - it can turn out to be either a luxurious match or a spectacle in the spirit of the ever-memorable Zenit - Rostov. The St. Petersburg players returned from the national teams in a great mood, but will they have enough “physics”?

Sergey Karpov:

The 13th round will open with a match between Akhmat and Spartak. In the last head-to-head matches, the red-whites left no chance to their opponents from Grozny - three wins in three matches with a goal difference of 7–0. In the upcoming meeting, the Carrera team will also be stronger. Krasnodar and CSKA will meet in the central match. The teams have the same number of points, but the last matches clearly did not go well for either one. The army team has not won in Krasnodar since 2013. The bet “Both will score - yes” will work; it was included in 7 of the last 8 matches of these teams.

Lokomotiv won three matches in a row, scoring 7 unanswered goals. “Ufa” is a tough nut to crack, but it is unlikely to be able to stop the “railwaymen”, who are expected to score at least two goals.

Another season in the top division Russian Football Championship, which is held by the Russian Football Premier League(RFPL), began on July 15, 2017 and ended on May 13, 2018.

Premier League standings 2017/2018

Help on the standings: AND- games, IN- winnings, N- draws, P- defeats, M- goals scored and missed, ABOUT- glasses.

Top scorers of the RFPL

Quincy Promes (Spartak) - 15 (3 from the penalty spot), Fedor Smolov (Krasnodar) - 14 (3), Jefferson Farfan (Lokomotiv) - 10 (0), Vitinho (CSKA) - 10 (2), Victor Klasson (Krasnodar) - 100).

Adults and children can play football comfortably in the “Football Time” sports arena, which has modern, world-class infrastructure.

Key dates for the 2017/2018 season

In the match for the Russian Super Cup, in which last season's champion Spartak and Russian Cup winner Lokomotiv met, the red and white won (2:1).

Zenit met with Spartak in the 4th round and won a major victory over their principal rival (5:1). The match in Moscow took place on November 27 as part of the 18th round and ended in a victory for the hosts with a score of 3:1.

The 6th round game between CSKA and the current Premier League champion ended in victory for the army club with a score of 2:1. The return match took place on the Spartak field on December 10 and ended in a victory for the hosts with a score of 3:0.

The first meeting of the army team and Zenit team within the framework of the Russian football championship took place in Moscow on October 22 and ended in a goalless draw. The return game in St. Petersburg in the 28th round also ended in a goalless draw.

Lokomotiv won the championship in the 29th round match, beating Zenit at home with a score of 1:0.

The final of the Russian Football Cup took place on May 9, 2018. Tosno beat Avangard Kursk with a score of 2:1 in the decisive match.

The sole leader of Spartak, the first defeat of Zenit, the reactive Maicon, the strong-willed Ufa, the daring Orenburg, a scoring extravaganza - Sportbox.ru sums up the results of the 13th round of the Russian Championship.

Tour poster. “Terek” – “Zenit” – 2:1

Home is traditionally a serious opponent for any Premier League giant. This time, the Grozny team was on a five-match unbeaten streak, while in the second half of October it noticeably slowed down. At the beginning of the match, it seemed that the ambience of the Akhmat Arena, which was extremely far from the full house, would not give the hosts the necessary charge of emotions, and Robert Mack scored a quick goal. However, at the end of half an hour of the game, Rashid Rakhimov’s team got themselves and the stands excited, and this instantly led to two goals scored - Bekim Balai scored a double.

Until the end of the meeting, the score did not change, although both had excellent chances. Thus, “Zenith”, which has recently become weaker in terms of physics and emotions, suffered its first defeat under Mircea Lucescu in the Premier League and fell behind “Spartak” by three points in the championship race. “Terek” took third place in the table and is now a serious contender for the European Cup.

Battles of the tour. Ufa, Samara, Krasnodar

Two removals, including the goalkeeper; two penalties, one of which was not converted; winning back the team that remained in the minority from a score of 0:2, which did not save it; Cup nerve and emotions - hardly anyone expected such an incendiary thriller from an ordinary person on the signboard of the match in Ufa. The hosts were primarily famous for their reliable actions in defense, but until now they had only scored 1 point out of a possible 15 on the road. In fact, the spectacle turned out to be beautiful. Rochina made a great shot from afar, Nabiullin made a slalom goal raid, emergency substitute Sysuev fought like a lion, Ryzhikov saved the penalty, with the score 2:3, nine of them were ahead until the last seconds!

Unlike the confrontation between Ufa and Rubin, the match between outsiders in Samara was initially expected with special interest. Ex-Ural helmsman Vadim Skripchenko moved to Krylya Sovetov and immediately continued the fight for survival, but against his former team. Passions were running high the day before, and the game itself did not disappoint. “Ural” opened the scoring, Kornilenko’s double turned the situation on its head, but when it seemed that the hosts were closer to increasing the lead, the guests came back thanks to Pavlyuchenko’s excellent pass to Chanturia – 2:2.

The final match of the round was incredible in terms of intensity and plot - in which 5 goals were scored before the break! By the 11th minute the hosts were leading 2:0, but by the 31st they were losing 2:3, soon lost injured goalkeeper Kritsyuk, and before the break, chief referee Vitaly Meshkov sent off Eboue for the go-ahead signal. In the second half, the referee equalized the lineups, showing another straight red card, this time to Orenburg defender Andrei Malykh for a brutal tackle from behind. Parity was immediately restored on the scoreboard - a cross from a free kick was turned into a goal by Martynovich. The result is a fiery 3:3.

Tour record. Micon's jet double

Sensation is perhaps too strong a word for a big victory over Anzhi (4:0). No matter what temporary difficulties the railway workers experience, on their home field they can beat any opponent in the Premier League. In this particular case, the prerequisites for the defeat were laid already in the opening of the meeting: after 3 minutes 56 seconds, the hosts were leading 2:0 thanks to a double. First, the Brazilian perfectly converted the episode after a corner kick, and then finished off Alan Kasaev's cool pass at the far post. His double became the fastest in the history of the Russian Premier League. The previous achievement belonged to Ari, who scored twice against CSKA in November 2014 (2:1) in the middle of the sixth minute.

It seems that Lokomotiv, which has suffered due to the lack of scoring forwards, now has the right option at the forefront. In the last four matches in all tournaments, Maicon scored four times, becoming the second scorer of the season in the club after Alexander Samedov, who scored three times out of five with shots from the point. It should be noted that Yuri Semin’s predecessor, Igor Cherevchenko, developed a similar option with Maicon at the start of the previous Premier League, but then its relevance disappeared with the return of Bayeux Niasse, who had served his disqualification.

Goal of the round. Fernando

Who knows, after 13 rounds he would have been the sole leader of the championship if he had not acquired a 24-year-old from Sampdoria in the summer transfer window. Nominally, the Brazilian plays in the position of a defensive midfielder, but in reality he is an outstanding representative of the box-to-box format (from penalty area to penalty area). He consolidated Spartak's play in the center of the field, making it both more reliable and creative.

It seems that it is no coincidence that it was Fernando’s goal at the end of the opening 45 minutes of the match in Tomsk, which took place in difficult weather conditions, that brought Spartak, which had suffered personnel losses, to clear first place in the table. The midfielder's strike was not a masterpiece (he had plenty of competitors in this round), but aesthetically impressive, and most importantly, scored at the most important moment of the meeting and at a very necessary time - the national championship. Having managed to put the squeeze on Tom before the break, Spartak held on to the winning score and eventually broke away by three points from its closest pursuer, Zenit, which stumbled in Grozny.

Awakening tour.

The Russian vice-champion won his first victory (4:1) in a month on all fronts. Arsenal took the lead, but the leaders of Rostov got down to business, thanks to whom the club from the banks of the Don led the championship race with CSKA until the last moments of the last championship. Alexander Erokhin scored a double, Dmitry Poloz scored a goal for the first time since the second half of September, and Serdar Azmun, who scored the winning goal with his head in his signature style, distinguished himself in the championship for the first time, adding to this an assist for Erokhin. The Rostovites, who are seventh, will certainly compete for a place in the European Cup.

Judging factor of the tour. Was Kostyukov offside?

And Perm supported the general trend of performance, scoring 4 goals between them (2:2). The question was raised by the episode with the second Perm goal. Without detracting from the merits of the man who distinguished himself in the second meeting in a row, it is worth admitting that the replay creates the feeling that the forward was offside. However, the judging panel led by Vladimir Seldyakov considered that everything was done according to the rules.

Be that as it may, CSKA is already 9 points behind the leader of the gold race. The champion extended his winless streak in all tournaments to five matches.

Tour number. 32 goals

The 13th round was by far the most productive in the current Russian Championship. A total of 32 goals were scored, an average of 4 per game. Next in line in terms of the number of goals is the 7th round, which is a third behind - only 22. Not many participants were short of the absolute record of 36 goals: this was achieved in the 21st round of the 2006 championship and in the 6th round of the 2012 season /2013.

The teams knew how to make spectators miss the tournament during the national team break.

Nikolay Nikiforov, Sportbox.ru