Shinnik came through a disciplined performance to beat Torpedo Moscow 2:0 in the Regions Path quarter-final of the Cup on Thursday evening. The hosts took the lead through a Daniil Martovoy penalty in the thirtieth minute before Dmitri Samoilov sealed the result with a second-half strike. Torpedo Moscow dominated possession but could not find a way past a resolute Shinnik defence.
The opening goal arrived from the spot after twenty minutes of play. Martovoy converted his spot-kick to give Shinnik the advantage, and the visitors refused to go away despite the setback. Artur Chernyi picked up a yellow card shortly after as tensions rose, but Shinnik saw the remainder of the half out without further incident.
Torpedo Moscow controlled the tempo for long spells, holding 67 per cent of the ball according to the final figures. Yet possession alone does not win matches, and the visitors wasted plenty of opportunities. Six shots went wide while only one found the target, a statistic that told its own story about the evening.
Shinnik made changes at the break, bringing on Vadim Karpov and Denis Pushkarev for Jonathan Okoronkwo and Yaroslav Arbuzov. The old head settled them down as the game moved into its final third, and Samoilov's goal in the seventy-sixth minute gave the home side breathing space. Torpedo pushed forward but found no answer to a side that had already got over the line.
The final whistle confirmed a comfortable victory for Shinnik, who extended their unbeaten run with a clean sheet. They go through to the next round on the strength of two goals from three shots on target, while Torpedo Moscow will need to look at how they created so little from so much possession.
