CSKA Held to Draw as Krasnodar Stays Top of RPL
A red card for Matheus Reis cost CSKA a win over Rubin, while Krasnodar needed a stoppage-time Boselli goal to draw with Akron and stay first.
Matheus Reis's red card cost CSKA Moscow a chance to close in on Krasnodar, with the Muscovites forced to settle for a draw against Rubin Kazan while a man short.
Krasnodar themselves needed a stoppage-time equaliser to avoid a first league defeat of the season, drawing 1:1 at home to Akron Tolyatti. The result keeps them top of the Russian Premier League table, with Dinamo Moscow, Spartak and CSKA all four points back after Dinamo snatched a late win of their own.
Krasnodar had gone unbeaten through the campaign until round seven, when they threw away a 2:0 lead away to Krylia Sovetov (2:2). Against Akron they fell behind again early: Konstantin Maradishvili's shot on 14 minutes took a deflection off Vitor Tormena and wrong-footed goalkeeper Stanislav Agkatsev. João Batchi thought he had put Krasnodar level moments later, rounding Akron keeper Vitaliy Gudiev after a long ball from midfield, but the goal was ruled out for offside on VAR review.
The first half brought nothing further from the hosts, and the second was broken up by a string of minor fouls. Krasnodar eventually escaped with a point when Boselli pounced on a mistake from Gudiev, who had otherwise kept his side in the game, on 88 minutes. The draw leaves Krasnodar's lead over second place shrinking.
Instead they stay four points adrift alongside Dinamo and Spartak.
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