Rostov and Rostov played out a 1:1 draw at Rostov Arena on Friday evening, with the hosts taking an early lead before the visitors equalised from the penalty spot. The Premier League Regular Season - 4 fixture ended with both sides walking away with a point each, though the flow of the game told a different story than the final scoreline suggested.
And here's the thing about the opening exchanges — Rostov struck twice in quick succession. T. Suleymanov found the net at the 30th minute, then added his second goal just a minute later. Three minutes on from that second goal, the visitors had already carved out a lead they would not hold for long. By then, Ivan Komarov had picked up a yellow card for the hosts.
The second half brought a different rhythm entirely. At the 49th minute, VAR awarded a penalty after Igor Vujačić was brought down, and J. Siwe stepped up to convert at the 51st minute. The visitors had been the more composed side in that period, though they struggled to test the Rostov goalkeeper — he made no saves throughout the match. Viktor Melekhin and Ygor Nogueira both picked up bookings for the hosts around that time.
To be fair, the statistics tell us where the imbalance really lay. Rostov logged four shots on target with five off target, registering 0.7 expected goals against zero big chances created. The visitors, meanwhile, managed only one shot on target but carried 1.43 expected goals — a penalty converted, nothing else of substance. They dominated possession at 53 per cent and completed 403 passes compared to the hosts' 346.
The result leaves Rostov in ninth place on eight points from seven games, while Rostov sit eighth with ten points. Both sides have won two league matches already this season, though the visitors have drawn four compared to the hosts' two. The hosts had come into this fixture unbeaten in their last three league games — a 0:0 draw with CSKA, a 4:0 victory over Akron, and a 4:2 win against Rodina Moscow.
By then, both managers were busy reshuffling their squads. Rostov made five changes, bringing on A. Arroyo, M. Ignatiev, T. Suleymanov (who had scored both goals), O. Olusegun, and A. Mironov. The visitors also brought on five players, including I. Saavedra at the start of the second half and J. Siwe at the death. The old head settled them down after the penalty — or perhaps it was simply that neither side had much left to give.