Rostov 0-1 Sochi
Monday 7 March, Rostov Arena

Goal: Sochi - Noboa 90+2’ (pen)
Man of the Match: Christian Noboa (Sochi)

After plundering 17 goals in their last three home games against Rostov, Sochi again struggled to apply the same cutting edge in their third visit to their southern neighbours.

Mateo Cassierra came closest to breaking the deadlock with a firm header that glanced across goal only to meet the crossbar square on.

The tight encounter looked to be heading for a stalemate until a VAR intervention handed the visitors a golden opportunity to steal the win. Christian Noboa’s penalty was well struck to hand Sochi all three points.

There was still time for more drama as Ivelin Popov looked to break away with Rostov keeper Sergey Pesyakov caught well out of his goal. Pesyakov flew into the challenge over the halfway line and upended the former Rostov playmaker to receive a red card, which was then overturned after a lengthy VAR review.

Rostov stay 14th on 18 points, while Sochi go third on 37 points.

Next RPL fixtures: Sunday 13 March - Khimki vs Sochi; Monday 14 March - Rubin vs Rostov