A draw is a disease

The Moscow club was traveling to Moldova in the status of an obvious favorite. But it turned out that only class superiority is not enough for victory. Hopefully, the annoying 1: 1 in Transnistria will not enter the football annals as an account that did not allow the vice-champions of Russia to compete worthily for the most prestigious European Cup.

Tiraspol “Sheriff” for six years knows no equal in the home championship. In addition, the team of Leonid Kuchuk is a regular in the qualifying stages of the Champions League. And although “Sheriff” has never gone further than the second round, the psychology of the winners is clearly not alien to the Moldavian football players. Terrible Moscow guests in Transnistria were expected without much trembling knees. Only the forthcoming influx of Spartak fans caused concern.

In the first match of the Champions League, Muscovite coach Vladimir Fedotov decided to abandon the usual scheme with five midfielders. In defense, Rodriguez, recovering from an injury, joined Jiraneku, Stranzl and Kovacs. Strengthening the back line in the game with a harmless-looking “Sheriff” turned out to be not out of the ordinary: the defenders had enough work for all 90 minutes.

The first half at first inspired optimism and confidence in the guests. From the first minutes of the meeting, it became clear that the class of Spartacists was much higher. Individual skill and speed advantage allowed them to overplay the opponent’s defense over and over again.

Already in the 4th minute, Bystrov provoked Gnana to a foul (while the defender of “Sheriff” earned a “mustard”), however, Mozart shot from the penalty box above the gate. The next sharp episode was the fall of the red-white captain Yegor Titov in the penalty box “Sheriff”, to which the Polish referee Malek, however, did not respond.

Spartak continued to put pressure on the opponent’s goal, the benefit of the hosts if they responded with counterattacks, but without much effect - Kovalevski played reliably at the last frontier.

However, the Muscovites could not achieve the result. The lumbago Jiranek was interrupted by the Tiraspol goalkeeper Khutsan, Mozart and Pavlyuchenko instead of the goal for some reason fell into the players, and Pyanovich completely missed the ball.

At the 43rd minute of the game, the stadium was quiet: after a hit by Titov, the ball hit the post.

Vladimir Fedotov could hardly have been pleased with the game of his team in the first half of the meeting, but Spartak reached the second forty-five minute in the same line-up.

Already in the 48th minute, Vladimir Bystrov again became the cause of discontent of Moldavians. This time for a foul against Spartak midfielder Arbanash received a yellow card.

The earned standard did not help the guests in any way, and soon Fedotov tried to strengthen the game by releasing Quincy and Torbinsky on the field (instead of Pavlyuchenko and Kovalchuk, respectively).

Substitutions, of course, played a positive role, but the overall picture of the game, “Spartacus” in the second half left much to be desired. Mozart, the main Muscovite plowman, could not make a single exact transfer, Pyanovich looked all the same pale. And against this bleak background Wojciech Kowalewski shone ...

“Sheriff” did not hesitate to go forward, time after time forcing the Spartak goalkeeper to rush from corner to corner. At the gates of “Spartacus” in turn beat Kochish and Florescu. Jiranek at the last moment miraculously removed the ball from Pyrsha's leg. The hosts pressed Muscovites tightly to the gate, it seemed a little more - and a terrible thing would happen.

But the Spartacists were not shy. At the 76th minute, Torbinsky earned a free kick. Mozart came up to the ball and ... as if by hand he hung the ball exactly on Kovacs, who sent the “round” exactly to the corner.

The joy of Spartak fans knew no bounds; the red and white sector of the stadium was raging. However, a whistle sounded, “Sheriff” started from the center of the field, and the game continued.

The last fifteen minutes the home team had only enough to organize Florescu an ineffective rendezvous with Kowalewski and make the latter make a mistake for the first time in the match.

After a simple canopy, the Muscovite goalkeeper released the ball from his hands, and after a few moments he got it out of the net of his own goal. The honor of the last touch belonged to the black Sheriff legionnaire Omotoyossi. To keep the winning score, “Spartacus” did not have a few tens of seconds. This, however, is already becoming commonplace: over the past two weeks, both Tom and Saturn have recouped in the last minutes in matches with red and white.

Anton FILINSKY