“Зенит” (St. Petersburg) – “Локомотив” (Moscow) – 2:1. Photo: FC “Zenit”/TASS.
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Incredibly, but the fact: instead of chasing the ball in a beautiful and not so hot autumn period and not suffering later in the snow in December, our tournament takes a three-week break. This break is related to national team matches. Although our footballers, not involved in large international projects, could stay closer to domestic production for friendly matches with Iran, Namibia and Nigeria. But we still live (or exist?) within old-fashioned frameworks and follow certain rules.
However, we also have our own laws (not just football ones). The ninth round of the domestic championship ended not on the weekend, but right in the middle of the week. Because during the elections to the Duma, making noise and whistling is not allowed. Besides, during the festive weekend, according to the authorities, there won’t be enough police for all kinds of fans (especially those inclined to hooliganism). But again: there’s no point in getting upset. We discuss what we have.
And what we have is a quite interesting September schedule. The top five leaders are moving quickly and cheerfully. The gap from the top-placed “Krasnodar” to the closing “Zenit” is only three points. Although the “bulls,” as it seemed to many after six consecutive wins, should have continued their confident march and opened up a more substantial lead. However, Murad Musayev’s wards, sprinting powerfully, managed to lose three autumn draws. Particularly with the outsiders – “Krylya Sovetov,” “Akhmat,” and “Orenburg.” What is the reason? Perhaps the team relaxed a bit. Or maybe the injuries of two leaders – Nikita Kryvtsov and Christian – affected the lively game picture. Moreover, the main scorer for the southern team, the Colombian Cordoba, no longer troubled the goalkeepers, delighting the fans of the “black-greens” only once. Nevertheless, “Krasnodar” is still unbeaten.
Murad Musayev during the match. Photo: Sergey Fadeichev/TASS.
Just as unbeaten is CSKA Moscow, currently in fourth place, with 5 wins and 4 draws to their name. And this is surprising. Experts predicted that the 40-year-old CSKA coach, Igdisamov, would be the first to be fired. However, Dmitry Igorevich, a graduate of the Tatar State Humanities and Pedagogical University, managed not to make any mistakes in two months. Moreover, in the team of the army men, the graduates of the club, or more correctly say, the graduates of the “red-blue” academy, are shining: Vladislav Torop, Matvey Kislyak, Kirill Glebov, Kirill Danilov, Jamalutdin Abdulcadurov, Tamerlan Musayev, and the newcomer from the past, Ivan Oleynikov. Moreover, in the battle with the Makhachkala “Dynamo,” this magnificent seven entered the starting lineup. And there are also Matvey Lukin and Imran Firov in the squad…Some might say that CSKA had an easy calendar, but despite the comfortable schedule of the Muscovites, who have Igor Akinfeev, Dmitry Barinov, Moises, and Milan Gajic in the infirmary (mind you!), they defeated last year’s champion, Zenit, away. However, the residents of St. Petersburg, who spent 25 million euros on transfers (another Brazilian, Felipe Augusto from “Trabzonspor,” cost fifteen), lost even at home to “Rodina.” And on this stretch, by the way, they already have three failures. More than in the entire 2026 tournament. But the “blue-white-sky-blue” are uncompromising. And they score more than anyone else (19 goals). And the most productive in the “South American gang” are the Russians – Alexander Sobolev, who scored 9 points in the “goal + assist” system (7+2), and Maxim Glushenkov, who hit the target six times and made two precise passes.
“Rubin” (Kazan) – CSKA (Moscow) – 1:1. Photo: Stanislav Makarov/TASS.
“Spartak” does not have such bright forwards. Or rather, they are silent for now. But the Spaniard Juan Carcedo managed to create a combat-ready and friendly team from the natives and legionnaires who even in poor quality, but intense contests, managed to snatch victories in the final seconds. For example, this happened in battles with “Akhmat” and “Fakel.” However, expert Evgeny Lovchev looks with skepticism at the golden prospects of his favorite club: “Only hotheads demand championships from Spartak! Defenders are slow. There is a constant fire in defense, constantly conceding goals. The attack is good, but without Baka – and a completely different football. This shouldn’t be the case. The team should not depend on one person.” I would like to note that in the last two matches, Spartak managed to keep their goal intact. And in essence, Spartak dropped points only in the derby against Dynamo.
“Spartak” (Moscow) – “Fakel” (Voronezh) – 1:0. Photo: Ekaterina Mescheryakova/TASS.
With Dynamo, which brought back the German coach Sandro Schwarz to Petrovsky Park (it was with him, I remind you, that the energetic team reached bronze in 2022 and made it to the country’s cup final). The “blue-white” started a bit shaky, refusing to sell Konstantin Tyukavin to Zenit for a fantastic 30 million euros, and analysts began to talk about the need to send the coach away. But Schwarz, calmly understanding the new realities, gradually improved the situation, and the Dynamo players (especially the young and homegrown players), feeling the trust of the bearded mentor, began to produce spectacular performances. And, having won five consecutive victories before the break, they collected 19 points. Like Spartak and CSKA. And the trio is just a stone’s throw away from “Krasnodar.” Meanwhile, the capital’s “Lokomotiv,” temporarily, languishing in the relegation zone, is disappointing. Only one win in nine matches. However, last season the “railwaymen” made it to the bronze. Currently, the prolonged crisis at Russian Railways – the main sponsor of Lokomotiv – forced the club to sell its jokers. And the business turned out to be profitable: for Alexey Batrakov, Dmitry Vorobyov, and Artem Karpukas, the Muscovites received a total of 37.5 million euros from Galatasaray, Krasnodar, and Zenit! But while the budget of the “red-greens” improved, the departure of leaders undoubtedly disrupted the team’s game discipline and other tactical formations. And for the struggling Lokomotiv and their thoughtful coach Mikhail Galaktionov, there are 22 days to rectify the situation. The championship will resume on October 10 with a match between Krasnodar and Zenit. Rest and wait.
