The devil did not pass, and the "bulls" were stabbed

Rostov and Krasnodar held the first matches in the 1/8 finals of the Europa League

After the Prague Sparta was carried out in the previous round, and the Krasnodar - the Terrible Turkish Fenerbahce, many fans sank about the final with the participation of the Russian team. However, in the rivals at the second stage of the playoffs, provincial clubs grabbed Manchester United and Celta ... a gift of fate.

... "We looked at the draw on the air with our wife. When the presenter pulled out the ball with Manchester United, his wife screamed ... ", these are the words of the defender of Rostov Fedor Kudryashov, who admitted that his whole life had dreamed to go to Old Trafford. And how the fans of the “yellow-blue” yelled, who in six months caught an incredible high from the victories over “Anderlecht”, “Ajax” and “Bavaria”, and probably should not be said. It would seem that to meet another Grand (do not forget about Atletico) to a heap on the European Cubsky path, in every sense will be a clear breakdown. But he happened. To the joy of the Donetsk residents and the horror of the English journalists and Jose Mourinho, who was in no way gathering with the richest club in the world (in the ranking of the authoritative audit company Deloitte “MU”, rated at 689 million euros, takes the first place) to fly for the distant lands. It was even more frozen when he saw the lack of grass at the legendary Olympus-2 stadium: “This is a nightmare ... I am afraid for the health of my players ...”.

But the southern lovers of English fun of money and health (to buy a “admission” for Ibragimovich, I had to not sleep night and desperately work with his arms and legs in front of the cash desks) for the sake of the match of the century. Those who did not have time “helped out” speculators. There is a legend that one grandfather took off the “grave” and purchased a ticket from the huckster for 100,000 rubles with a face value of 16,000. Being in their right mind and sober memory. And it was precisely for such desperate Rostselmashevites that Berdyev’s wards had to well turn the “red devils”, whom the gray -haired Damn Mourinho set up for a serious battle.

... It was a battle without a gate and almost without ass. "Kickboxing" with elements of football, a pure champion (second most important English league - A. U. ). Opponents from the first minutes began to check each other for strength. Noses, jaws and shoulders crunched. “Rostov”, although he lost a grenade who, as it turned out later, received a clatter fracture with a displacement, but did not bother and answered hard guesters for every blow to the legs in Kazakh. He grabbed the Swede Zlatan on the hull and the ankle, the Face was washed to the Frenchman Pogba. The ball of good half an hour was not interested in anyone at all. True, intelligence in battle ended still with a lightning -fast combination of Manchester, which was placed by Henry Mkhitaryan. “That's the end of the fairy tale ...” thought at that moment.

But Kurban Berdyev, as always, had his own plan “B”. Having strengthened the vigilance and groping the weaknesses of the United, the Rostovites began the second half with a powerful pressure. It was risky. But it worked. Kalachev with a pass from the central circle “divorced” all the defenders in red, and Bukharov, taking the “spotted” to his chest, later sent him from summer to the net. "We must give up!" - rushed from the stands. And the peasants, who had already created more than one sensation in the European Balls, tried to capture the English fortress until the last seconds and once again shame the bookmakers. But there was not enough ingenuity and droplets of luck. However, like Manchester United. And Jose Mourinho at the post-match press conference, brushing sweat from his forehead, said that he was satisfied with the result and was happy that Kalachev and Gatskan would not play in the response meeting.

... But whether Fedor Smolov will heal until March 16 - this is a big question. Without him and other leaders, the “bulls” had a hard time in Vigo. “Celta”, where Valery Karpin and Alexander Mostova were once enchanted, is, of course, not Manchester. And there are no stars of the level of Ibra. But the Spaniards are Spaniards. They do not sit in the defense, do not protect strength and do everything at high speed. The guys Igor Shalimov hardly reached the intermission, but after the break they missed after a direct shot from the penalty area (Kritsyuk did not help out). “Krasnodar”, who did not surprise the Galicians, nevertheless, did not scatter, and the newcomer of the team Viktor Classon literally after 360 seconds gracefully equalized the score. But it was only an episode. And the guests were not destined to take a draw from Balaidos: under the curtain of “corrids”, the final injection “bulls” applied to Bow. “We are disappointed, but we look at the future with optimism,” the head coach of the southerners summed up the meeting.

Well, as the great combinator said, "the meeting continues." A goal in a foreign field gives Krasnodar good chances. Well, Rostov, even with personnel losses, is quite capable of a feat that the Volgograd Rotor was created 22 years ago, which drove 2: 2 on Old Trafford and knocked out the Manchester from the UEFA Cup.