Dynamo Moscow saw off Rostov 5-0 at home in the Women's Higher League, Regular Season round 16 on Friday evening. The hosts ended a run of mixed results with a decisive performance, while Rostov's struggles continued in the lower reaches of the table. By then the visitors had already drawn level on points with Dynamo but were seven places behind them.
K. Komissarova opened the scoring in the sixth minute, latching onto a quick passing move. A. Kovaleva doubled the advantage just before the half-hour mark, and then Komissarova found her second in the 42nd minute. Y. Myasnikova added a fourth after the break in the 58th minute, and D. Basaeva closed the scoring in the 73rd minute. Rostov's Y. Bessolova received a yellow card in the 39th minute — the only booking of the game.
And here's the thing about results like this: they don't always reflect the full picture. Dynamo had lost their last league game 1-0 to Spartak Moscow and drawn with Zvezda Perm, but they'd also beaten KR Reykjavik 2-0 in European competition. Rostov had managed two draws in their last five league outings, including a goalless stalemate against Ryzan-VDV. By then the visitors had already shown they could hang on when it mattered.
Komissarova came off in the 60th minute after her double, replaced by M. Galay in the 74th minute. M. Lyubimova was introduced in the 70th minute, and O. Shcherbinina made her appearance in the 81st minute. Three substitutions for Rostov, one for the home side — the visitors had to make more changes, though not necessarily for tactical reasons.
The result leaves Dynamo Moscow in sixth place with 22 points from 17 games, while Rostov remain 11th on 11 points from 18 matches. The gap between them widens to 11 points, and the visitors have now lost 12 of their 17 league games this season. Dynamo's eight wins and seven defeats suggest a team finding its rhythm at the right time.