Avangard Kursk and Kristall MEZ shared the points in the Regions Path second round of the Cup before Kristall triumphed 9-2 in the penalty shootout on Tuesday. The match ended 1-1 after extra time, with both sides having their fortunes reversed by events that stretched far beyond the 90 minutes. And here's the thing, the contest turned into a dramatic affair that few would have predicted from the opening whistle.
D. Knyazev gave Avangard the lead in the 21st minute with a penalty strike, but N. Altukhov levelled for Kristall just 15 minutes later. The game turned sour for both sides in stoppage time before the interval, with Knyazev sent off in the 45+1 minute and an unnamed Kristall player following him in the 45+2 minute. By then, the match had already lost its rhythm, and neither side looked particularly dangerous in open play.
Extra time produced nothing of substance until the shootout, where Kristall's composure told. D. Sapelnikov missed two penalties for Avangard at 90+9 and 120+1 minutes, leaving his side needing perfect execution. Kristall converted every spot-kick in sequence, with V. Kozyrev, V. Vnukov, E. Gershun, L. Furtsev, D. Zakharov, I. Pospelov, S. Borisov, N. Altukhov, and A. Y. Khrebtov all finding the bottom corner. To be fair, Avangard had no answer to the mounting pressure.
The statistics reflected Kristall's dominance throughout. They held 65 per cent possession against Avangard's 35, while their seven shots on target compared to just two suggested they created more meaningful chances. Avangard managed three corners to Kristall's four, and neither side received a yellow card despite the intensity of the encounter.
The result means Kristall advance while Avangard's season comes to an end. The hosts have now lost their last three competitive matches, having also fallen to Broke Boys and Orel in recent months. Kristall, meanwhile, bounce back from their defeat to Torpedo Moscow with a victory that keeps their campaign alive.