The matches of the 17th round of the Russian Premier League will be remembered not for their bright football or referee scandals, but for the actions of the fans and a large number of red cards. And also the uncertain play of the favorites, who either lost points in matches with not the strongest opponents, or made life difficult for themselves to the limit.
“Rostov” hacked to death with the champion
The 17th round kicked off with a match in St. Petersburg, where the championship leader Zenit hosted Rostov. Before the start of the game, most forecasters agreed that a devastating defeat awaited the guests. However, from the very first minutes, the players in yellow uniform showed that they had not come just to walk along the beautiful St. Petersburg lawn. The penalty earned by Almqvist demonstrates the guests’ charge in the best possible way. In that moment, the Swede could not have stopped not only Chistyakov , but also Van Dijk with Sergio Ramos – so fiercely the midfielder wanted to break through to the goal of Mikhail Kerzhakov .
And after 14 minutes there was a goal by Nikolai Komlichenko, which provoked indignation among the owners, although from the side it seemed that he was scored in compliance with all the rules – in European cups the forwards always play as tough as the forward of “Rostov”.