Krylia Sovetov Samara 1-2 Akhmat Grozny
Sunday July 25, Solidarnost Arena, Samara

Goals: Krylia - Sarveli (49); Akhmat - Utkin (6), Konate (20)
Man of the Match: Vladislav Karapuzov (Akhmat)

Newly promoted Krylia Sovetov were given a cold welcome to the RPL by Akhmat, who scored just six minutes after kickoff via loanee Daniil Utkin. The away side doubled their advantage through another new signing, Mohamed Konate soon after and dominated the rest of the half.

Krylia got back into the game after half time, Vladislav Sarveli scored minutes after the restart to give his team some hope. Emboldened by the goal, Samara dominated the second half, with last season’s record-breaking top goalscorer Ivan Sergeev smacking the post from distance, but were unable to get the equaliser, and started their RPL campaign with a loss. 

Next RPL fixtures: Friday 30 July - Krylia vs Spartak Moscow; Monday 2 August - Akhmat vs Sochi