#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Last season’s Russian Cup winner Norilsk Nickel lost the quarter-finals following the results of two meetings and thus retired. Let us remind you that the first game between Sinara and Nickel players ended in favor of the northerners – 5:4. In the return leg in Yekaterinburg, the hosts were stronger – 7:3.
The scoring was opened by the Uralians when, in the sixth minute, Maxim Gerasimov struck the goal. A minute later, thanks to Rodriginho’s efforts, the Norilsk people evened the score, but very soon they again found themselves in the role of catch-up: Sergey Abramov distinguished himself. Toward the end of the half, the Norilsk striker Ruslan Kudziev reminded of himself, but at the end of the first 25 minutes, the same Abramov again restored Sinara’s priority – 3:2. The score could have been even more impressive if, five minutes before the break, Anton Sokolov from Yekaterinburg had implemented a ten-meter shot.
In the second half, tension on the court increased. The opponents continued pressing on the goal, which could not but provoke fouls from the defensive ranks. In the 36th minute, Abramov scored a hat-trick. At the 42nd minute, another foul was recorded on the guests, which became fatal for them: the referee again pointed to the point, Gerasimov approached the ball and did not miss – 5:2. Thanks to Darlan in the 48th minute, the northerners got the opportunity to keep the intrigue – 5:3. But in the response attack they missed again, and again from the ten-meter mark: after Abramov, Gerasimov scored a hat-trick – 6:3. Two minutes remained until the end, and in order to transfer the game into extra time, Norilsk Nickel had to score twice. Unfortunately for the northerners, they conceded the seventh, final goal, which Abramov chalked up to his own account – 7:3.
Let us remind you that in another drawing – in the Russian championship – Norilsk Nickel after 14 games takes the third place with 24 points scored. The next match Yevgeny Kuksevich’s wards will play on December 18-19 against last year’s champion – the Communist Party of the Russian Federation FC.
As the This Is Taimyr previously wrote, the youth teams of Norilsk Nickel FC were headed by the famous coach Alexander Sokolov.
Text: Mikhail Tuaev, Photo: Norilsk Nickel FC press office
