The Round 5 PARI League 2026 season match between Nizhny Novgorod's FC Nizhny Novgorod and Neftekhimik of Nizhnekamsk was held on 8 August 2026 in Nizhny Novgorod. The hosts won 5:1.[1] The match was notable for a hat-trick by forward Vyacheslav Grulev, scored in the first half, and for the fact that the win took Nizhny Novgorod to the top of the First League table.[1]
Course of the match and goals
The main hero of the match was Nizhny Novgorod forward Vyacheslav Grulev: he beat Neftekhimik's goalkeeper in the 7th, 9th and 21st minutes, completing a hat-trick in 14 minutes within a single half.[4] The other two goals for the hosts were scored by Yan Gudkov and Gleb Popolitov. The visitors' only goal was scored by Enri Mukba.[1]
On the same matchday, as part of Round 5, Yekaterinburg's Ural thrashed Ufa 3:0, while Yaroslavl's Shinnik drew 2:2 with Tula's Arsenal.[1] A review of the goals and highlights of the Nizhny Novgorod — Neftekhimik match was published by the Match TV channel on 9 August 2026.[2]
League standings
For Nizhny Novgorod, the win was the club's fifth in a row in the 2026 season. With 15 points, the club topped the PARI League table.[1] After the defeat, Neftekhimik had 6 points and stood in 10th place.[1]
Vyacheslav Grulev
At the time of the match, forward Vyacheslav Grulev was 27 years old. He has played for Nizhny Novgorod since 2024. In the 2026 season, before the match against Neftekhimik, the forward had played four games and scored three goals.[4]
Sources
- news.sportbox.ru — Grulev's hat-trick helps Nizhny Novgorod thrash Neftekhimik in First League match (archive)
- Lenta.ru — Nizhny Novgorod player scores three goals in one half of First League match: Football: Sport: Lenta.ru (archive)
- matchtv.ru — Nizhny Novgorod — Neftekhimik. Goals and highlights (video). PARI League. Football — watch online in high quality
- news.sportbox.ru — Nizhny Novgorod — Neftekhimik. Goals and highlights (video). PARI League. Football