Krylia Sovetov 0-1 Spartak Moscow
Friday July 30, Solidarnost Arena, Samara

Goal: Spartak - Sobolev (pen) 67’ 
Man of the Match: Aleksandr Sobolev (Spartak) 

Rui Vitoria got his first competitive win in Russia thanks to a second half penalty from star striker Aleksandr Sobolev. Spartak and Krylia had been embroiled in a tight encounter until the ball hit Sergey Bozhin’s flailing arm in the penalty area; the result of which was a successful penalty. 

Krylia did their best to claw back into the game by bringing on a number of substitutes, including 16-year-old wonderkid Sergey Pinyaev. Despite this, the home side couldn’t score and ended up losing. 

Though it wasn’t pretty, Spartak managed to achieve their first victory of the season, and will now face Vitoria’s former side Benfica in the Champions League next week. 

Next RPL fixtures: Saturday 7 August - Arsenal vs Krylia Sovetov; Spartak vs Nizhny Novgorod