Spertsyan impresses against Lokomotiv, but the match ends in a draw

The Matchday 16 fixture of the Mir Russian Premier League between Moscow’s Lokomotiv and Krasnodar ended in a 1–1 draw. Armenia national team captain and Krasnodar’s key playmaker Eduard Spertsyan played the full 90 minutes.

Both goals came in the first half. In the 11th minute, Aleksandr Rudenko opened the scoring with his third league goal of the season. Five minutes later, Douglas Augusto drew Lokomotiv level with his first-ever goal in the RPL.

Krasnodar’s equalizer came following a free-kick delivery from Spertsyan. After a series of deflections in the box, Augusto sent the ball into the net.

Spertsyan was heavily involved in Krasnodar’s attacking play, but his teammates failed to convert his passes into a winning goal. The best chance fell to Nikita Krivtsov in the 75th minute, when he missed an open net after a sharp pass from the Armenian midfielder.

Spertsyan’s match statistics:

• Minutes played: 90+
• Shots: 1
• Accurate passes: 30 (73%)
• Key passes: 6
• Big chance created: 1
• Crosses: 5/7
• Successful dribbles: 2/2
• Ball losses: 14
• Interceptions: 1
• Duels won: 3/4
• Fouls: 1
• SofaScore rating: 6.8

After this round, Krasnodar remain top of the RPL table with 34 points. Zenit and CSKA trail by just one point, while Lokomotiv sit fourth with 31 points.