Makhachkala defeated Rodina Moscow 2-0 in the Russian Premier League on Saturday at Anzhi Arena. Gamid Agalarov opened the scoring in the 51st minute before Houssem Mrezigue doubled the lead six minutes later. The result moved Makhachkala to sixth place with 12 points from seven games. Rodina remain 14th with just four points.
The match changed shape early when German Onugkha was shown a red card for Rodina in the 8th minute. By then the visitors were already chasing the game, and the dismissal pulled them further back. Iker Pozo collected a yellow card in the 15th minute and Artem Meshchaninov in the 22nd. Rodina were reduced to ten men and never really recovered.
Makhachkala dominated possession with 70 per cent of the ball and created 2.12 expected goals from their chances. They registered nine shots on target and two big chances, though only one came off. Rodina's goalkeeper had to make seven saves to keep the score at 2-0, but even that was not enough to rescue a point.
We had called a Makhachkala win in our preview with 79 per cent confidence, and the result confirmed that reading. To be fair, the hosts deserved their victory after controlling large spells. Mrezigue's goal in the 64th minute sealed matters, and Rodina's players never looked like mounting a real response.
The win ended Makhachkala's run of three consecutive defeats, which included losses to Zenit, Rubin and Krasnodar. Rodina's poor form continued as well, with defeats to Spartak, Baltika and Dynamo among their recent results. The gap between the teams in the table is now eight points.
Makhachkala completed 474 passes compared to Rodina's 201, with 117 passes into the final third. The visitors managed only three key passes and one big chance all game. Rodina made 24 tackles but could not prevent the hosts from working the channels.
