Chaika saw off SKA-1946 4-3 in a club friendly on Friday in Kazan, a result that ends a run of mixed results for the hosts. By then they had already shown signs of vulnerability in their last outing, falling 3-4 to Reaktor just twenty-four hours earlier.
SKA-1946 came into the fixture having won their most recent outing 3-1 against Sputnik Almetyevsk, but this time they could not hold the tie in their own hands. They were drawn against a Chaika side that had lost three of their last five before turning it on against their local rivals.
The visitors' recent form had been uneven — defeats to SKA-Academy and Irbis bookended victories over Spartak and Avto. To be fair, they had found a way back into games before, but this afternoon they gifted Chaika enough chances to make the difference.
And here's the thing about friendlies: the scoreline tells only half the story. Chaika's defense looked shaky at times, something they will need to address before competitive action resumes. SKA-1946 showed enough to suggest they can spring a surprise when it matters.
The result shifts nothing in any table, but it gives both coaches something to work with. Chaika now have three clean sheets on the spin to build on, while SKA-1946 will want to find a way back into tighter fixtures.