Lokomotiv saw off Mashal 3-0 in the Superliga's twenty-first round on Thursday. The hosts wrapped up a comfortable victory at home, with three goals separating them from the visitors by the final whistle.
The opening goal came at the fifty-sixth minute through N. Ivanov, who found space in the box to finish cleanly. Lokomotiv pressed early, with the ball moving quickly between the lines. To be fair, the visitors looked uncomfortable from the start.
The second goal arrived in the eighty-fifth minute, courtesy of T. Abdukholikov, who made no mistake when given time to shoot. By then, Lokomotiv had played the second half a man up in spirit if not in numbers. The visitors were chasing shadows.
A late third goal from J. Bakhodirov in stoppage time sealed the result. It was a routine finish, but one that left no room for doubt. Lokomotiv held their nerve when it mattered.
The statistics told the full story. Lokomotiv registered 155 attacks against 104 for their opponents, while their 61 per cent possession share reflected the tempo they imposed. Eight shots on target compared to two for Mashal meant Lokomotiv created the better chances.
This was the result we called for — a home win backed by 59 per cent confidence. The table goes out of the window in these games, but the gap between sixth and sixteenth place is widening. Mashal have one foot in relegation trouble after losing five on the bounce.
Lokomotiv now sit on twenty points from twenty games, with nine wins, five draws and six defeats. Mashal are on four points from the same number of fixtures, with only a single victory to show for their efforts. The old head settled them down, and the result proved it.