#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. This direct matchup took place in the 19th round of the BETCITY Super League at the Norilsk sports hall Aika.
Before the match against this key competitor, the northern team received a significant boost: Kudziev returned from injury, and newcomers Neginyo and Fabrizio were added to the lineup.
CPRF started strong, with Shimbinya scoring from a pass by Niyazov at the far post. However, Norilsk Nickel quickly equalized with a goal from Kudziev. The home team went into halftime leading after an unstoppable shot from Nando.
The ‘communists’ equalized in the 33rd minute, with Kudziev unfortunately becoming the anti-hero of the moment: first, Asadov intercepted his pass, and then the ball deflected off Ruslan’s foot into the near corner. Just two minutes later, Fabrizio scored his first goal in the BETCITY Super League, taking advantage of a quick counterattack from Norilsk Nickel. In the closing moments, the home team hit the post twice and ended up down a player after Nando received a second yellow card. Despite this, CPRF couldn’t turn the game around – Norilsk Nickel held on to win (3:2), ensuring they remained at the top of the table.
After the match, Sergey Skorovich, the head coach of Norilsk Nickel, reflected on the challenging nature of the game:
“It was a tough match with a lot of emotions and fierce competition. We faced two strong teams, and it was clear it would be a hard-fought battle. I’m very pleased that our players stood their ground and won. I can’t stress enough how important it was to channel those emotions positively. We fought hard, and it was evident in tough moments that the team was focused on achieving the result – well done. I want to thank our opponents for the match and our fans for their incredible support”.
The next day, the teams met again for the second match of the 19th round.
In the third minute of the game, the home team took the lead with a goal from Fabrizio. Five minutes later, Danil Kutuzov added another one. The visitors managed to pull one back before halftime, but the northerners still went into the break leading (2:1).
At the start of the second half, CPRF equalized through Andrey Zabolonkov, but Fabrizio was on fire that evening: just a minute later, he put his team in front again, completing a brace. Soon after, CPRF scored their third goal to level the score again. Joao Guilherme, a CPRF player, then scored a fourth goal against the home team just a minute later – 3:4. The Norilsk team replaced their goalkeeper with a fifth player, and with just half a minute left in the match, Andrey Afanasyev equalized the score – 4:4. Regulation time ended, leading to a nail-biting finish – a penalty shootout. In the shootout, the guests came out on top. However, FC Norilsk Nickel secured the crucial points they needed to maintain their lead in the Russian championship (80 points).
Up next for the Arctic team is an away series in the regular stage of the PARI Super League, with matches against IrAero and Sinara scheduled for March 18-19 and March 25-26.
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Text: Maria Sokolova, Photo: Nikolay Shchipko
