SKA beat Avtomobilist and narrow the gap in the Gagarin Cup series – 1:3
Auto’s fast track to the semi-finals is canceled. All this is to blame – 5:2 in favor of SKA in the fourth match of the 1/4 finals. Roman Rotenberg’s team opened the score for the first time, converted the power play for the first time, finished off Ural with Khairullin’s double into an empty net and won the long-awaited series victory in Yekaterinburg.
“KP Sport” – about what happened in the match “Avtomobilist” – SKA.
Tretyak: “A match with spectators? It’s the club’s decision, I have nothing to say.
In connection with the tragedy that occurred the day before at the Crocus Town Hall near Moscow, mass events began to be canceled throughout Russia. Meetings within the framework of the Gagarin Cup are no exception: the match between Spartak and Metallurg was postponed in Moscow, and Avangard and Lokomotiv in Omsk. According to preliminary data, both matches will take place on March 26.
In Yekaterinburg, the meeting between Avtomobilist and SKA took place according to schedule. “Is it normal for the match to take place with spectators the day after the tragedy? This is the club’s decision, I have nothing to say,” FHR head Vladislav Tretyak said in an interview with Match TV.
At the same time, the organizers naturally canceled the entire entertainment part. The match started with a minute of silence and there was no music or other activities during the breaks.
Rotenberg’s replacements worked, and so did most of them. For the first time in 10 attempts
In order to somehow save the series, Rotenberg’s coaching staff decided to shake up the lineup. Galchenyuk, Starkov, Kadeikin, Grebenshchikov (all forwards) and Kamalov (defender) returned to base.
And the replacements worked! In the 7th minute, Starkov and Galchenyuk launched a quick counterattack, which resulted in a goal by Glotov. Vasily burst into the zone, threw under the defender, immediately collected the rebound from the goalkeeper and hit the target.
Thus, SKA took the lead for the first time in the series. And 7 minutes later there was another start: the St. Petersburg team converted a numerical advantage for the first time in the last 10 attempts. Returnee #1 (Kadeikin) shot a nickel behind the goal – returnee #2 (Galchenyuk) closed it out. And he typed “1+1”.
“Auto” immediately sat Alikin on the bench and released the second goalkeeper, Vladimir Galkin, into the goal.
Makeev’s hand, Vorobyov’s passage
In the second half, Ural became noticeably more active in attack. True, the miracle shield of Alexander Serebryakov stood in their way for a long time. But in the 35th minute, the SKA goalkeeper was helpless: Da Costa threw with a clumsy hand – Makeev fought for the rebound, caught the puck with his hand and threw it onto his stick – Da Costa collected the rebound and hit the empty corner of the goal.
And 69 seconds before the break, SKA further increased the lead to “+2”. The hero of the episode is Mikhail Vorobyov, who flew into the “Auto” zone on the left edge and attracted almost all five players of Yekaterinburg to himself. He then made a diagonal pass to Kamalov, who immediately hit the top corner.
Makeev cut back – Khairullin finished. Twice
At the start of the last period, the hosts received a gift in the form of a 4-minute majority. Spoiler: they didn’t use it. But already in equal numbers, Makeev collected the puck on the spot and restored the intrigue.
The rest of the time, Avtomobilist only applied pressure. At the end of the match, even the goalkeeper had to be removed. Ural paid the price: Khairullin scored two goals into an empty net. The first – 2 minutes before the end at point blank range, the second – 20 seconds before the siren.
The result is 5:2 in favor of SKA. St. Petersburg’s first victory in the series!
“Today they removed the ‘shit’
Today the teams seemed to have switched places. “Avtomobilist” largely dominated its opponent (48:26), and SKA simply won all the important micro-episodes. Hence the result.
Nothing bad happened to hockey players Alexei Zavarukhin. Just remember the series with Ak Bars: we also won three matches in a row, but also lost the fourth meeting (0:5). What happened next is not worth mentioning.
On the other hand, the “military” transport the confrontation to their native St. Petersburg. And Rotenberg believes in a comeback: “Today, they removed the “damn it”. Victory opens all doors. »
Gagarin Cup, 1/4 final. Match #4
Motorist – SKA – 2:5 (0:2; 1:1; 1:2)
Goals: 0:1 – Glotov, 06:49 (Galchenyuk, Starkov), 0:2 – Galchenyuk, 13:59 (Kadeikin; 5×4), 1:2 – Da Costa, 34:04 (Makeev), 1:3 – Kamalov, 39:18 (Vorobiev, Pashnin), 2:3 – Makeev, 48:51 (Golyshev, Da Costa), 2:4 – Khairullin, 57:39 (Zykov; in empty net), 2:5 – Khairullin, 59 : 40 (Dedunov, Zemchenok; in an empty portal).
The series score is 3:1.
Source: KP
Emma is a professional author and journalist, working at 247 News Update. With years of experience, she brings a unique perspective and in-depth analysis to her work.
