Kokorin bags second-half double in FC Sochi debut win over Dynamo

Aleksandr Kokorin marked his FC Sochi debut with two goals in the second half of their 3-1 win over Dynamo Moscow. Christian Noboa scored the other goal for Vladimir Fedotov’s side after Sebastian Szymanski had given Dynamo an early lead.

Barely four minutes were on the clock when Szymanski curled a beautiful free kick over the wall and into the top corner. Nikita Kalugin - one of four former Dynamo Moscow players appearing for FC Sochi, alongside Ibragim Tsallagov, Kokorin and Noboa - threatened with two headers in a lively first half.

Sylvester Igboun and Dmitriy Skopintsev were both denied by Nikolay Zabolotniy. At the other end Anton Shunin had to get down low at full stretch to keep out Nikita Burmistov’s shot two minutes before half time.

Kokorin came on for the second half and promptly had a direct hand in all three FC Sochi goals. Burmistrov won back possession five minutes after the break and squared for the new signing to tap in from six yards.

Just three minutes later Kokorin’s sharp movement on the left flank to pull it back to a lurking Noboa paid dividends. The Ecuadorian midfielder swept home first time from the edge of the box with his left foot.

Kokorin’s confidence was running high enough for him to take over free kick duties from Noboa 30 yards out, but his effort was wildly over. With 10 minutes to go, however, his instinctive positioning helped him meet Andrey Mostovoy’s left-wing cross to cap a memorable debut.

Kirill Panchenko hit the crossbar from a free kick, but Dynamo couldn’t match their endeavour from the first half.

FC Sochi next face FC Astana on Thursday 20 February, while Dynamo Moscow will play Dynamo Minsk on Friday 21 February.

FC Sochi 3-1 Dynamo Moscow
17 February, Belek, Turkey
Goals: Kokorin (51’, 80’), Noboa (55’); Szymanski (5’)

FC Sochi: N. Zabolotniy, Zaika, Novoseltsev (Miladinovic 85’), Kalugin, Mevlja, Nabiullin (Margasov 42’), Burmistrov, Tsallagov, Noboa (Lagator 85’), Mostovoy, Poloz (Kokorin 46’)
Dynamo Moscow: Shunin, Parshivlyuk (Morozov 85’), Rykov, Sunjic, Ordets (Pliev 75’), Skopintsev, Yusupov, Neustadter (Kabore 73’), Igboun (N’Jie 75’), Szymanski (Panchenko 82’), Komlichenko