The 2018 Russian Super Cup in football (official name: "Olimp-Russian Super Cup") is an annual match established by the Russian Football Union (RFU) and the Russian Football Premier League (RPL) that opens the new football season. In 2018 the match took place on July 27 at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium and ended with PFC CSKA defeating FC Lokomotiv in extra time. The match was broadcast live by Channel One.[4]

Participants and circumstances of qualification

Under the regulations, the Super Cup is contested between the Russian champion and the winner of the Russian Cup. The reigning champion of the 2017/18 season was Moscow's Lokomotiv. The 2018 Russian Cup winner, FC Tosno, was denied a license to compete in national competitions for the 2018/19 season, lost its professional status, and dropped out of the tournament. In accordance with the tournament rules, its place was taken by the league's runner-up, PFC CSKA.[1]

CSKA came into the match with a substantially renewed squad: Pontus Wernbloom, Bibras Natkho, Georgi Milanov, the Berezutski brothers, and Sergei Ignashevich, who had retired, all left the club; Aleksandr Golovin was sold to Monaco. Viktor Vasin, Konstantin Kuchayev, and Aleksandr Makarov were unable to play due to injuries. At the same time, the newcomers Jaka Bijol and Rodrigo Becão joined the team, Nikita Chernov and Dmitri Yefremov returned from loan, and Hörður Magnússon joined his teammates in Moscow.[1]

Course of the match

The game began with a setback for CSKA: in the very first minutes the team's leader Alan Dzagoev suffered a calf muscle injury and was replaced by Georgi Shchennikov. The defender Kirill Nababkin ended up in the holding midfielder role. Lokomotiv repeatedly pinned the opponent back in defense; the champions' best chance in regulation time was saved by CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, who held on firmly to a header from the corner of the six-yard box. Vitinho, playing his last match for CSKA before moving to Flamengo, twice shot dangerously from long range. After 90 minutes the score remained 0–0.[1]

In extra time CSKA were the more dangerous side: Mário Fernandes's powerful shot was blocked by Lokomotiv's defenders, and Vitinho's shot hit the crossbar. At the end of the second period of extra time, the young midfielder Khetag Khosonov, who had come on as a substitute, struck accurately into the far corner to make it 1–0. Soon afterward Lokomotiv were reduced to ten men: Čorluka was sent off for a rough foul. The Army men held on to the winning score and claimed the trophy.[1]

Lineups and officiating

The following took part in the match: for Lokomotiv — Guilherme, Barinov, Denisov, Zhemaletdinov, Idowu, Ignatyev, Kverkvelia, Al. Miranchuk, An. Miranchuk, Rybus, Tarasov, Farfán, Fernandes, Čorluka, Éder; for CSKA — Akinfeev, Becão, Bijol, Bistrović, Vitinho, Dzagoev, Yefremov, Zhamaletdinov, Magnússon, Nababkin, Fernandes, Khosonov, Chalov, Chernov, Shchennikov. The match referee was V. Bezborodov.[1]

Hosting in Nizhny Novgorod

The match was the first major football event at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium since the 2018 World Cup. Kickoff was scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Moscow time. Acting Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Region Gleb Nikitin and Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Olga Golodets attended the game; her visit also included a stop at the V. S. Tishin Olympic Reserve School, an awards ceremony for the participants of the international sailing regatta "Junior Volga Cup Optimist," a meeting on the development of youth sports in the region, and a meeting with the head of the Region.[2][3] On the day of the match, vehicle traffic around the stadium was restricted.[2]

For CSKA, the victory was the seventh in the club's history at the tournament (by then the "Army men" had won the Super Cup six times, receiving the honorary trophy for permanent keeping after their fifth win in 2013). Lokomotiv had by then won the Super Cup twice, including the very first edition in 2003, when the opponent of the same two teams was likewise CSKA.[2][4]

Sources

  1. pfc-cska.com — Russian Super Cup (archive)
  2. KP — Nizhny Novgorod — Lokomotiv — CSKA, July 27, 2018: Preview of the Russian Football Super Cup Match (archive)
  3. nobl.ru — Olga Golodets and Gleb Nikitin Will Attend the Russian Football Super Cup — Official Website of the Government of Nizhny Novgorod Region
  4. tv.yandex.kz — "Russian Football Super Cup 2018. Live from Nizhny Novgorod. CSKA — 'Lokomotiv'" — When to Watch on TV — Yandex.TV Guide (archive)
  5. neoplaybet.com — Lokomotiv Moscow — CSKA, July 27, 2018, Prediction and Betting. Super Cup (archive)
  6. tv.yandex.uz — "OLIMP — Russian Football Super Cup 2018. Live from Nizhny Novgorod. 'Lokomotiv' — CSKA" — When to Watch on TV in Magadan — Yandex.TV Guide