The Bulls Took the Win Away in the Deep-Frozen Tula

FC Arsenal Tula 1-2 (1-2) FC Krasnodar

Goals: Vilhena (Petrov), 7 (0-1), Petrov, 25 (0-2), Lutsenko (Tkachyov), 43 (1-2).

Missed penalty kick: Ignatyev, 63 (off-target).

FC Arsenal Tula: Shamov, Grigalava, Belyayev, Denisov (Lesovoy, 66), Bauer, Álvarez, Kostadinov, Čaušić, Gorbatenko (Lomovitsky, 75), Tkachyov, Lutsenko.

FC Krasnodar: Safonov, Ramírez, Fjóluson, Martynovich, Petrov, Vilhena, Utkin, Fernandes (Wanderson, 15), Berg (Gazinsky, 57), Suleymanov (Stotsky, 78), Ignatyev.

Yellow cards: Álvarez, 24, Shamov, 62, Grigalava, 90+5 – Martynovich, 16, Berg, 27, Utkin, 61, Vilhena, 67, Ignatyev, 90+2.

Referees: Vasilyev (Izhevsk), Shalamberidze (Moscow), Bereznov (Moscow).

24 November 2019. Tula. Arsenal Stadium. Clear. -3 degrees. 7815 spectators.

It was a frosty day in Tula today, especially in the morning. That is to say, when the U-21 teams of the involved clubs played, the temperature dropped to twelve degrees centigrade below zero. It got somewhat warmer in the afternoon. As a result, by the kick-off of the clash between FC Arsenal and FC Krasnodar first teams the temperature gauge had stopped at the “minus three degrees” mark.

And yet, the weather conditions did not prevent the Bulls from scoring a quick opener. Early on the 7^th minute a pass by Petrov along the 18-yard line sent the ball directly to Tonny Vilhena. A shot that followed was blocked by the Tula defender, but it actually favored the Bulls as the ball changed its path and went inside the net next to the right goalpost.

A long-awaited Wanderson Maciel’s return took place afterwards, but it was accompanied with a bit of drama, since Fernandes had been forced to leave the field of play due to injury. Then on the 17^th minute FC Arsenal just barely missed scoring an equalizer. A break-through and a low cross by Lutsenko created a critical situation that was defused by Fjóluson, who involuntarily flicked the ball to the pole of his own goal.

Soon enough Sergei Petrov boosted the optimism of the visiting supporters. The black-green full-back received the pigskin on his foot in a most convenient way as it was coming out of the penalty area, and fired it into the far corner. The Krasnodar team gained a 2-0 lead.

The ending of the first half was rather unlucky. On the 43^rd minute Yevgeni Lutsenko managed to meet a pass by Tkachyov in time at the second pole and shortened the gap. What’s worse, in one of the attacks that followed the home team could have totally made the score equal. Fortunately, Safonov was able to parry tricky shots taken by Čaušić and Tkachyov. Midway through the second half FC Krasnodar received a chance to double the gap again. Shamov committed a foul in the own box against Ignatyev, and the victim himself volunteered to execute a penalty kick. What he did was sending the ball over the crossbar though.

As the full-time drew nearer the game became double-edged with both teams creating numerous scoring chances. And yet, the score established in the first half remained unchanged. The black-greens thus achieved their fifth consecutive win over FC Arsenal Tula in games between the two teams in question. As for Sergei Petrov, he goes on improving his personal statistics. After a scored goal and two assists in the game for Team Russia against San Marino, he has now earned two more points under the “goal plus pass” system.