Translated material
One for all
Lokomotiv's victory was the only one for Russian clubs in Europe
This European Cup week turned out to be unsuccessful for Russian football. After the defeat of Spartak and a strained draw by CSKA in the Champions League, Rubin lost to Parma in the first round of the UEFA Cup - 0:1. And only Lokomotiv managed to defeat the modest Belgian club Zulte Waregem - 2:1.Beating a team that is currently in fifteenth place in the Belgian championship is no great feat. Moreover, having conceded in the last compensated minute. And now Lokomotiv cannot feel calm before the return match, which will take place in two weeks: Slavolub Muslin’s team still needs to try harder to get into the group stage of the UEFA Cup. But the “railway workers” would need peace of mind. In the Russian Championship they have consecutive games with Spartak Moscow, CSKA and Rubin.
Waregem turned out to be a very difficult opponent. The Belgians failed to create anything at the opponents' goal, but they did not let Lokomotiv take over at their own goal. It took Muslin's team more than half an hour to crack the guests' defense. And then the Muscovites managed to score the first goal only after a mistake by the Belgian goalkeeper, who was unable to keep the ball in his hands, and in finishing Loskov was the quickest of all.
The second goal was also difficult. No matter how much the hosts crossed into someone else’s penalty area, Waregem’s defenders always managed to clear the ball away. And only at the next corner, when the goalkeeper made a mistake again, now on the way out, Ivanovich managed to poke the ball into the goal.
But when the last minute added to injury time was already ending, the Belgians managed to perform a small miracle. An ordinary pass to someone else's goal, calculated for luck, brought success to the guests, and a goal on someone else's field - hope for a sensation in the return match.
And a couple of hours before that, Rubin lost to the Italian Parma - 0:1, although they could count on at least a draw. The Italians brought a semi-reserve squad to Kazan - the Italian Serie A recently started, and the Parmesans decided to focus on it and make do with small forces in the away match. But even the Italian reserves seemed too formidable to the Rubin players, and Kurban Berdyev’s team spent about half an hour getting used to the idea that they could play to win against such a Parma. So the visiting defense began to work at full capacity, receiving cards for tactical fouls.
But Rubin created truly dangerous moments only in the second half. In almost all of them, the protagonist was the Argentinean Dominguez. First, he broke through on the left flank and made an excellent pass to Ben Ashour, but the Rubin midfielder’s shot hit the goal post. Then Dominguez took a turn-around shot himself - Parma was saved by Bucci, familiar to Russian fans from matches with CSKA a year and a half ago. And then the Parmesan goalkeeper was forced to re-enter the game, parrying Ben Ashour's shot.
The guests rarely responded, but one of their counterattacks turned out to be fatal for Rubin. Muslimovich's powerful long-range strike caught Kazan goalkeeper Kolinko by surprise. The Latvian national team goalkeeper managed to hit the ball, but it was so awkward that it landed right on the head of Dessene, who no longer missed the empty goal. So “Rubin” did not fulfill the most important task set by Kurban Berdyev, did not keep its goal intact. However, the hosts could soon improve: a penalty was awarded for a foul against Baiano, but Dominguez’s shot from the 11-meter mark was weak and inaccurate, and Rubin did not have enough time to save the situation. In two weeks it will be even more difficult for Kazan - the main team of Parma will do everything not to miss the advantage gained on the road.
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UEFA Cup. First round. First matches. "Rubin" - "Parma" - 0:1 (Dessena 79) , "Lokomotiv" - "Waregem" - 2:1 ( Loskov 35, Ivanovich 73, Vandermarliere 90) .