Dynamo St Petersburg and Dynamo Vologda played out a 1-1 draw in the Regions Path third round of the Cup on 27 August 2026, before Vologda won the penalty shootout. The match ended in extra time after a tense afternoon, with the visitors advancing at the expense of the home side.
St Petersburg took the lead through P. Kireenko's penalty in the 57th minute, a moment that settled the game's rhythm. Vologda responded with an equaliser from Y. Frolov in the 89th, finding a way through when the hosts were growing comfortable. By then, both sides had been cautious, probing for openings rather than committing men forward.
And here's the thing about the final minutes — M. Burlakov picked up a yellow card and then a red in quick succession, both in the 90+2 minute. That left Vologda with ten men for the closing stages of extra time, backs against the wall as St Petersburg pushed for a winner. The red card shifted the balance entirely, forcing the game into penalties.
The shootout stretched to eleven rounds, with Vologda's strikers converting with clinical precision. Only D. Krivoruchko missed for St Petersburg, and that single miss proved costly. Vologda's players — Dolgov, Smirnov, Betyuzhnov, Vorotnikov, Petrolay, Yezkov, Frolov, Popov, Kireev, Shilov, Pronin, Orlov, Bykov, Kuroshev, Golovnya, Borodin and Mansurov — all found the back of the net.
To be fair, the statistics tell a different story from the result. Vologda enjoyed 52% possession and registered nine shots on target compared to St Petersburg's two, yet the home side held their nerve until the red card disrupted everything. The hosts managed only four corners and two shots on target, while the visitors created far more opportunities but struggled to convert them in regular time.
What matters is not the possession figures but the moments that decided the tie. St Petersburg's recent form had been shaky — losses to FC 10 and Makhachkala, a defeat to Vologda last season — while the visitors came into this match having beaten Tver 2-0. This result extends Vologda's Cup run and leaves St Petersburg to regroup, the high line having been picked apart when it mattered most.