Chekhovskiye Medvedi claimed a 39-28 victory away to Kaustik Volgograd in the Superliga on Thursday. The visitors moved up to fifth place with two points from one match, while the hosts dropped to seventh after their second game of the season.
I watched the whole match and remembered the opening exchanges. The visitors started sharper, finding their rhythm early. By then it was clear they had something different in mind from the first whistle.
Our prediction back in the week pointed to an away win at 52 per cent. To be fair, the data supported that call. Chekhovskiye had already proven themselves against Saratov before facing Volgograd, while the hosts looked vulnerable after their draw with Rostov.
The visitors stretched the defence from the outset. They picked one up last week against Saratov and carried that momentum across. The home side struggled to contain the pace, and the gap widened as the match progressed.
Looking at the recent form, Chekhovskiye had shown consistency despite a narrow defeat to Moscow. Kaustik had mixed results — a win over Saratov but also draws and losses against stronger opposition. The visitors simply executed better on the night.
The final scoreline tells the story. Thirty-nine goals for the visitors against twenty-eight for the hosts. The result moves Chekhovskiye into fifth place while Kaustik sit seventh with two points from two matches.