The first rounds of the Champions League and Europa League have concluded for all Russian clubs participating in these competitions. Three teams played their debut matches and together managed to earn only 1 point. The heroes of this week are the players of Moscow’s Lokomotiv, who snatched a draw in their match against Marseille. But let’s go through everything in order.
Chelsea 1:0 Zenit
The first to test their strength was the only RPL representative in the Champions League, Zenit. They traveled to London to face the reigning Champions League trophy holders, Chelsea. Naturally, the game was dictated by the English team, but the visitors defended skillfully and mounted some good counterattacks. Several fantastic opportunities went unconverted, and Chelsea managed to score and secure the win. This happened on the 69th minute, with Romelu Lukaku as the goal scorer.
The result was a surprise for many, as experts expected a more convincing victory from the English side. Zenit deserves credit; the team showed great character.
Spartak 0:1 Legia
The biggest disappointment of the European week was Moscow’s Spartak. The Red-Whites were drawn into a group with Napoli and Leicester and absolutely needed to pick up points against Legia to have any chance of advancing. But that hope is now dashed, as they failed to earn a single point in their home match against the Polish club.
Spartak looked decent at times but made terrible defensive errors, while Legia’s attackers repeatedly forgave their opponents. The Red-Whites had their chances, including shots hitting the frame of the goal, but the ball just wouldn’t go in. Ultimately, Spartak’s repeated mistakes led to Legia scoring the only goal in stoppage time through Luirim Kastrati, sealing the win for their team.
Lokomotiv 1:1 Marseille
The opponents for the Railroaders weren’t Chelsea, but certainly not Legia either. After all, the French side had just wiped the floor with Monaco in their previous match, showing their championship ambitions.
Lokomotiv opted for a defensive approach and only occasionally ventured into the opponent’s half, but they made their shots count. Disaster struck for the Moscow team in the 58th minute when Tkinizyan committed an unnecessary foul in his own penalty area, earning a second yellow card and conceding a penalty. The experienced Cengiz Under calmly converted the spot kick, putting Marseille ahead.
Mounting a comeback while a man down seemed nearly impossible. Marco Nikolic completely refreshed the attacking line, but it didn’t lead to anything positive. However, lady luck smiled on the Railroaders, and in stoppage time, after a quick counterattack, Faustino Anjorin – who transferred from Chelsea – leveled the score on the scoreboard.
Thus, Lokomotiv became the only team from the Russian Premier League that managed to earn points after the first round.
