The «ex-leader» title now applies to Lokomotiv after their disappointing 3-3 home draw against Rostov. This draw allowed their closest rivals, Krasnodar and CSKA, to secure comfortable victories, each earning three points. As a result, Lokomotiv, also known as «The Railwaymen,» immediately dropped to third place in the league standings. Spartak and Zenit also swept aside their opponents with decisive wins.
On Saturday, Spartak secured a 2-0 victory against a strong Rubin team in Kazan, while Zenit dominated Makhachkala with a 4-0 win at home. Sunday`s matches brought a surprise with Akrom`s impressive performance. For the first time in six months, I witnessed a team give a hundred percent on the field. However, even immense effort can sometimes be matched by superior strength. CSKA, a strong contender for the «gold» medal, proved their superiority with a 3-1 win, featuring precise strikes from Alves, Glebov, and Oblakov (from a penalty), countering a single goal from Dzyuba. This extends CSKA`s unbeaten streak in the RPL to 20 matches.
Earlier, Krasnodar, considered the top contender for the «gold,» delivered a crushing 6-0 defeat to Krylya Sovetov in Samara. Perrin was named Man of the Match; the Frenchman, making his first start, opened the scoring and demonstrated maximum effectiveness. As Pavel Yakovlev, a two-time Russian championship silver medalist, noted:
«It`s worth noting Krasnodar`s previous matches — a 4-0 cup victory over Dynamo, then 5-1 against Sochi, and now 6-0. The players they`ve acquired are starting to deliver results, and Perrin played a fantastic game today. Krasnodar has such depth that they can create chances out of nothing, and their combinations are executed brilliantly. A strong understanding is emerging within the team, which explains Krasnodar`s well-deserved victory. Right now, it will be very difficult for any opponent to play against Krasnodar.»
Perrin was brought in as a potential replacement for the team`s indispensable captain, Spertsyan, who might depart for Europe. However, with Edik (Spertsyan) still on the team, the Kuban side`s creative play has become an explosive mix. In the next league round, the champions will face their toughest possible opponent: CSKA. Dynamo also performed admirably. The «White-Blues» (Dynamo) overcame Pari NN at home with a convincing 3-0 win, making it a rare and pleasant experience for head coach Valeri Karpin to answer journalists` questions.
«I was pleased with a lot in defense; again, this isn`t the first game this has been evident. The team understands and fulfills the requirements for defensive play. So, defensively, it`s `okay.` In attack, even though we scored three goals, we had over twenty shots on target! Clearly, our finishing still needs work. And what I didn`t like was probably the lack of calmness and composure, not just in front of goal but also in midfield. But overall, fundamentally, it was normal.»
The only team to squander a victory, and in the dying seconds of injury time, was Lokomotiv. Had defender Morozov simply cleared the ball out of bounds instead of trying to be clever, it wouldn`t have fallen to Ronaldo, who then equalized. This unfortunate error cost Lokomotiv their first-place position, dropping them to third. Head coach Mikhail Galaktionov commented:
«Two absolutely different halves. In the first half, when you have a significant advantage in terms of dangerous moments, approaches, runs, and don`t give the opponent any chances to score. But in the second half, you concede the initiative. You can`t let the opponent get a taste for the game, so to speak, right? And the blunders we make. For the last, third goal, it seemed like we could have played more reliably, just cleared the ball! But, as always, we`re perpetually lacking just a little bit.»
Current Russian Premier League Standings
Top scorers include Batrakov of «The Railwaymen» (Lokomotiv) with seven goals, and Gil, forward for Baltika and the Salvador national team, with five. Here`s a look at the current league table:
| Team | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Krasnodar | 15 | 1st |
| CSKA | 14 | 2nd (due to goal difference) |
| Lokomotiv | 14 | 3rd |
| Baltika | 12 | 4th |
| Rubin | 10 | 5th |
| Zenit | 9 | 6th |
| Dynamo | 8 | 7th |
| Spartak | 8 | 8th |
| Krylya Sovetov | 8 | 9th |
The upcoming 7th round of the Russian Football Championship is scheduled for the last weekend of summer. The marquee match will be a clash between the current top two teams in Russia, CSKA and Krasnodar. This highly anticipated game will take place on August 31st at the VEB Arena in Moscow, kicking off at 18:00.
