Captain’s red card no problem for Akhmat to beat Nizhny Novgorod

Nizhny Novgorod 0-1 Akhmat Grozny
Saturday 7 May, Nizhny Novgorod Stadium

Goal: Akhmat - Troshechkin (74)
Sent off: Akhmat - Utsiev (53)
Man of the Match: Daniil Utkin (Akhmat)

After a two-game trip to Moscow and Tula, Aleksandr Kerzhakov’s side came back to home stadium and faced Akhmat, who previously won for the first time since the end of February. Both teams finished the first half, having just one shot on target, and things became more interesting after the break, as Jan Bobrovsky showed a red card to captain Rizvan Utsiev for hitting the opponent with a straight leg. Just moments before Andrey Talalaev was forced to substitute another defensive leader Andrey Semenov due to injury.

Despite being cut down with one man, Akhmat found a counter-attack, and Mohamed Konate’s backheel pass became an assist to Aleksandr Troshechkin who beat Nikita Goylo from the distance. Igor Gorbunov, who was Nizhny joker at the beginning of the season, tried to earn a penalty, but VAR review changed the decision to a yellow card for Gorbunov for the simulation, and ten-man Akhmat kept a win.

Nizhny Novgorod remain 11th on 29 points, while Akhmat stay eighth on 38 points.

Next RPL fixtures: Friday 13 May - Sochi vs Nizhny Novgorod; Saturday 14 May - Lokomotiv Moscow vs Dynamo Moscow