Akron and Lokomotiv Moscow shared the spoils in a cup group stage match that ended 0:0 after extra time before Lokomotiv won 4-3 on penalties. The fixture took place on 1 September 2026 as part of Group Stage 3. Both sides had met earlier in the month in a scoreless draw, so this result kept things level once more.
And here's the thing about matches like this — you watch for a moment that changes everything, but sometimes nothing does. The first half passed without incident until S. Loncar picked up a yellow card in the 26th minute. Lokomotiv's S. Babkin followed with a booking of his own at 37 minutes. There was no breakthrough despite Akron's slight edge in possession.
By then the pattern was set, and both managers made three changes at the interval. Loncar was replaced by Bistrovic for Akron, while Shchetinin came on. Lokomotiv brought on Rakov and Bakaev alongside Nenakhov. The second half produced more cards — Nenakhov and Morozov were cautioned, and a yellow card was shown to an unnamed player at 72 minutes. Another booking came for Lokomotiv's A. Rudenko at 73.
Further substitutions followed, with Platon and Bazilevskiy entering for Akron, and Benchimol and Rudenko for Lokomotiv. The game remained tight through extra time. To be fair, neither side created anything worth writing home about in regulation. The match went to penalties when neither could find a winner.
Montes and Khosonov both scored from the spot. Pinyaev added another for Lokomotiv while Maradishvili's attempt for Akron was saved. Dudu scored for the visitors, and Golubev missed for the hosts. Hovhannisyan and Saltykov converted for their teams. The final two shootout attempts were missed by both sides, and then the seventh-round taker scored for Lokomotiv. It was enough to edge them through.
Acron dominated possession at 53 per cent and registered six shots on target compared to three. They earned eight corners to their opponents' five, and their shots accuracy matched Lokomotiv's at 43 per cent. The visitors collected four yellow cards to Akron's two, and had fewer blocked shots.
The result leaves both sides level on points after this third group stage match. Akron have now played five games in August and September, with two draws and three other results including a 3-3 draw with Rodina and a 0-3 loss to Krylia Sovetov. Lokomotiv have been similarly mixed, losing to Dynamo and Rostov while drawing with Orenburg.
