Dynamo conceded an annoying goal and lost to CSKA in Novogorsk

The third capital derby for Dynamo this season is, without exaggeration, the most difficult and responsible. If only because we had to play with the best Moscow team of the last two years. WFC CSKA is the vice-champion of the Super League twice in a row and also the winner of the Russian Cup twice in a row.

There is no point in saying that this year the army team may be the main contenders for gold medals. At least, before the meeting with Dynamo there was no doubt about it: 9 matches – 9 victories, goal difference 24-3! And the red-blues have not yet shown their real strength in games with their main rivals in the championship race: they have not yet met either Lokomotiv or the current champion Zenit.

And now, finally, the time for a real test of the red-blue ambitions has come: starting with today’s match in Novogorsk, a crazy series awaits them with direct competitors - Dynamo and Lokomotiv (away), Zenit (at home). After it, of course, a lot will become clear. By the way, including for our team. After all, considering the gap to CSKA by five points and having a game in hand, Dynamo can either get as close to the leader as possible in this segment, or lose a lot and fall far behind.

However, no one on the team looks that far ahead, understanding that we need to live for today and move from match to match, making adjustments along the way and working on mistakes. Moreover, there are still enough of these mistakes. Certainly in games with CSKA. Just look at the statistics of personal meetings between the two clubs: Dynamo has never won against the army club in official games (4 defeats in 4 matches), recording only one goalless draw at the Turkish training camp this off-season.

This is where we should take another significant step and break the spell of this army curse...

For the game with the undisputed favorite, the blue and white coaching staff chose the already traditional 4-3-2-1 formation and the same familiar combination of central defenders: Ksenia Kubichnaya, who played with Helena Bozic in the center of defense since the start of the season, returned to the starting lineup, but did not take part in the previous game with Zvezda 2005. The flanks of the attack also turned out to be familiar and already well-proven - here Kristina Komissarova and Elena Shesterneva were located on the edges.

It would seem that everything indicated that the blue and white would give battle to the leaders of the season and finally break their winless streak in the games with CSKA. However, looking ahead, we can state: the Dynamo football players created practically nothing at the army goal in two halves in Novogorsk. Yes, there were approaches to the penalty area and the CSKA goal, there were also good opportunities to create something dangerous from standard positions, Sergei Lavrentiev’s charges could have escaped into counterattacks.

But the fact remains: without shots on target, matches are not won, unless some very funny incident intervenes. But these shots never happened for the blue and whites in more than 90 minutes. And they simply shot at the Dynamo goal only 3 times. For comparison, Maxim Zinoviev’s team has 17 shots on goal, 3 on target. Not much either, but they still scored their goal.

By the way, the goal actually turned out to be quite funny and offensive for our team, especially for the blue and white goalkeeper Diana Ponomareva. In the 53rd minute, the ball in the Dynamo penalty area after a pass was received by the central defender and captain of the army team, Nevena Damjanovic, who handled the ball and shot, not exactly very strongly and accurately. But after a rebound, first from the post, and then from Ponomareva’s back, he still ended up in the Dynamo goal. An offensive coincidence of football accidents!

But, perhaps, it is no less offensive that the blue and white were unable to adequately respond to such a goal. The Dynamo forwards played a particularly inexpressive game against the vice-champions: neither Williams, nor Shesterneva, nor Komissarova excelled in creative attack. It is no coincidence that both Kaylan and Elena were replaced during the second half. And the fresh Galina Geibieva, who replaced the American, did not add speed or danger at the CSKA goal.

Well, Dynamo suffers its first defeat of the season, leaves the army team behind by 8 points, but does not lose hope of someday conquering this impregnable fortress. A new meeting with CSKA in the Super League is scheduled for early November and, perhaps, the blue and white will have the last word at the finish line of the championship.

Well, the Dynamo football players will be able to rehabilitate themselves for this defeat in the next match - in the derby with Spartak. The first in the history of Russian women's football.

For complete information about the starting lineups and events of the meeting, see the match center.