FC Krasnodar 4-0 (0-0) Marbella FC (Spain)
Goals: Martynovich, 67 (Podberyozkin, 1-0), Podberyozkin, 69 (Kaleshin, 2-0), Naldo, 80 (3-0), Smolov, 90 (Joãozinho, 4-0).
FC Krasnodar (Russia): Kritsyuk, Kaleshin, Martynovich, Naldo, Torbinski (Ramírez, 62), Kaboré (Fomin, 62), Gazinskiy, Podberyozkin (Joãozinho, 75), Claesson, Wánderson (Laborde, 62), Smolov.
Marbella FC (Spain): Manu (Moha, 70), Cristian (Cabra, 81), Neva (Barrientos, 46), Danilo (Dimas, 75), Tiri (Mario, 46), Tissone, Goti (Adri, 62), Victor (Esteban, 62), Ebu (Iuliano, 62), Turbo (Adama, 81), Pedro (Luis, 62).
Yellow card: Barrientos, 57 (foul play).
Referees: Delgado, Ruiz, Duarte (all Spain).
6 February. Spain. Marbella Football Center Stadium. Clear. 17 degrees. 50 spectators.
Since FC Rubin Kazan refused to play a friendly, FC Krasnodar was forced to urgently look for a substitution team to play against in a final scrimmage of the winter training camps. It was not an easy task, because a schedule for these exhibition games is planned a few weeks in advance, but finally a local club from Marbella agreed to the proposal. Marbella Fútbol Club is a team of the Spanish Segunda División B (third tier league), buy they can boast a solid squad and a reputation of a rather uncomfortable opponent in games against the elite league representatives from other countries.
Indeed, even though in the first half the Spanish team ceded the initiative to the Krasnodar players without complaint, they still defended competently and did not allow the black-greens to create anything worthy of note next to their goal. The attacks of the Bulls (their first eleven included Charles Kaboré who had barely returned to the squad with an AFCON 2017 bronze medal) rolled against the Marbella box one after another like the waves of the Mediterranean Sea usually do against the shores of the Costa del Sol, and they retreated in the same inevitable manner. The shots taken against the goal guarded by Manu could be counted on the fingers of one hand, and those two that actually went on target just before the half-time did not confuse the Spanish goalie. As for the black-green keeper Kritsyuk, he entered the game only a couple of times leaving his goal area. The Blanquillos went forward willingly, but a better class of FC Krasnodar defenders allowed them to confidently reduce the attacking aspirations of the opposition to zero as soon as they began approaching the final third.
The Bulls began the second half in a more active way, and their actions also became more aggressive and focused to score. In no time Marbella defense began bulging at the seams, but it actually held for a while. As time progressed the players of the Spanish team became more and more fatigued, so it became harder for them to catch up with the black-greens who were finally performing in full steam.
Marbella FC manager Mehdi Nafti began fielding his fresh young players actively, but even they were not able cope with the pressure imposed by the players of Igor Shalimov. It became apparent that once an opener was scored against the Spanish club, other goals would follow. This is what exactly happened in the end. Aleksandr Martynovich scored the first one on the 67th minute when he won an aerial duel in the opposite box after a corner kick was executed by Podberyozkin. Two minutes later the same Martynovich launched the second scoring attack of his team with a cutting pass to Kaleshin. Viltali centered the ball comfortably for Vyacheslav Podberyozkin to shoot, so the latter proceeded with an unsaveable one into the second corner.
Almost every attacking action of FC Krasnodar ended with a shot on Marbella FC goal, and it was obvious the Bulls would not content themselves with only two scored goals. The third one was scored on the 80th minute after another corner kick was served. Martynovich took an active part in it again as he dropped the ball to the second goalpost. A shot by Claesson hit the crossbar, but Naldo was already there and he finished the ball with a header.
Fyodor Smolov was willing to mark himself with a scored goal on his birthday, but for a while he had been desperately unlucky. His shots either sent the ball off target or the keeper blocked them all. On one occasion the Krasnodar No. 90 forced his way heroically through the whole Marbella defense, but their keeper managed to react to Fyodor’s toe poke saving the ball. And yet, with only a few seconds remaining to the full-time the centre-forward of the Bulls finally succeeded. Laborde made a player of opposition commit a foul on the right flank, and as the ball was expected to be served from a free kick, Joãozinho rolled it along the goal-line instead. Fyodor Smolov came running and shot it exactly into the second corner making the final score 4-0. FC Krasnodar has finished the winter training camps with a runaway win after scoring four unanswered goals in the final 23 minutes of the game.