Dynamo's Second Win Marks the End of Kuranyi's Goalless Streak

Over a year ago, Dynamo defeated Amkar 3-0. Today was almost a repeat, though the Moscovites could have won without conceding two goals. Yusupov and Noboa were not in the lineup today due to injuries. Neither was goalkeeper Anton Shunin.

What did it take for Dynamo to defeat a team that's currently a strong contender for the middle of the RPL table? The match started with some early attempts by the home team. Despite the pressure from the guests, there were nice consecutive attempts created by Aleksandr Kokorin and Adrian Ropotan. The second ball forced Amkar's keeper Sergei Narubin to go down for the save. The first 45 minutes gave the eerie impression that Kuranyi was cursed - he had so many shots, but just couldn't get the ball in, even after a perfect cross from Marko Lomic. Dynamo was able to maintain possession much better than in previous games. Only one serious attempt was made by the guests, masterfully saved by Dynamo keeper Roman Berezovsky. Unfortunately, the first goal conceded by the home team was in part due to a blunder by the talented Armenian goalie. He tried to pass the ball to Aleksandr Sapeta instead of clearing it out. The midfielder barely attempted a run and was apprehended by Martin Jakubko, who had very little work to do to get that ball in; his shot even nutmegged Berezovsky. It was a senseless mistake by Dynamo. Yet the home team tried to make it up with a brilliant attempt at a potential equalizer when Jantscher's shot was saved by Narubin. A second attempt came from Kuranyi, but it was not yet his time to shine. It took the Moscovites only 5 minutes to create the equalizer. A free kick led to a fantastic combo featuring Kokorin and Balazs Dzsudzsak, Kuranyi headed a ball into the middle of the box, and Jakob Jantscher got his first goal for his new team. Dynamo continued to create magic on the left flank. The commentators complimented Kokorin, comparing his playing style to that of Andriy Voronin, who is out on loan to the Bundesliga's Fortuna Dusseldorf. Of course, another similarity is that Voronin scored one of the goals in Dynamo's match against Amkar just over a year ago. It was about time that bad luck befell the opposition, and it just so happened to decimate the guests' defense. Amkar was forced to make their first substitution when one of their main defenders got injured ten minutes before halftime. Berezovsky stopped a rare attempt by the guests, and Amkar couldn't make use of the rebound due to an offside call. The straw that broke the camel's back was a second yellow card to defender Ivan Cherenchikov for a challenge on Dzsudzsak. The guests were down to ten men long before halftime. In an attempt to strengthen possession in the center, Amkar manager Rustem Khuzin had Slovakian National Team newcomer Michal Breznanik come on for fellow midfielder Aleksandr Kolomeytsev, marking his debut for Amkar. There was some more action by Kokorin in both set pieces and on the attack. The home team had a lot of crosses to the keeper, but were eager to score and could have done so on many occasions. 

Jakob Jantscher looks dazed as his teammates celebrate captain Kevin Kuranyi's goal. Photo: fcdynamo.ru

Newcomer Jakob Jantscher continued to be active for Dynamo, delivering a free kick that led to Kuranyi's header, testing the keeper and earning the team a corner. Another corner came after Kokorin had a one-on-one run with the ball, leading to a save by Narubin. Kuranyi headed the ball towards the far post after a nice combo, but Semshov completely wasted the opportunity and shot the ball high over the bar. Argentinian defender Leandro Fernandez, who was not very visible during the first half, delivered a cross to Kuranyi, but the German stirker just couldn't head it in. Neither could Kokorin. Yet the home team was still leading in possession and had one more player on the pitch, forcing Amkar to play a more defensive game. If anyone could have stepped up the game for the guests, it was Dutch midfielder Gianluca Nijholt. The 22-year-old, whose one-on-one run was cut short by a lone defender, debuted for Amkar after playing for FC Utrecht in the Eredivisie as well as being on loan to a Dutch First Division team. His attempt led to a speedy Dynamo counter by Kokorin, whose shot through the middle of the box sent the ball flying wide of the upper corner. Then came one of the most remarkable and memorable moments of the match. Two consecutive shots, one by Kuranyi and one by Semshov, both hit crossbar. There's no telling how the ball didn't end up in the net. Amkar keeper Narubin found it amusing that his team was saved two times by what a certain Harry Potter character would call "sheer dumb luck". 

Rustem Khuzin used his last substitution wisely. Slovakian forward and goalscorer Martin Jakubko made room for yet another new player, 20-year-old Greek striker Nikolaos Karelis. The young player immediately created a rare moment for the guests, but Ignatovich couldn't get on the end of the cross, and the ball was immediately sent into a counter by Dynamo. Amkar have Sergei Narubin to thank for the save. The guests countered, and Ignatovich's potential one-on-one moment was cut short when Berezovsky tactfully outran the forward to grab the ball. Misimovic came on for Sapeta, Dynamo manager Dan Petrescu's second substitution in 70 minutes of play. The Bosnian midfielder immediately took to set piece duty. He soon gave away a set piece himself, earning a yellow for a challenge on Georgi Peev. The free kick ricocheted off the home team's wall, setting up a perfect counter. Kokorin's beautiful pass to Dzsudzsak led to a rendezvous and a final pass to Kevin Kuranyi, and what do you know? He finally scored! The German striker's last goal was back in May when Dynamo tied 2:2 with Lokomotiv in the Moscow Derby. Four months and millions of minutes later, the Dynamo captain ended his goalless streak. Dzsudzsak outplayed Sirakov and delivered a cross from the left flank to Kevin Kuranyi on the far post, and the striker headed the ball in the best possible way. An attempt by Misimovic was saved by the keeper, and Kuranyi's pass from the right flank earned the home team a 6th corner. The set piece resulted in a cross by Misimovic from the right flank. This time, Kokorin was at the far post to send the ball right into the far corner of the net. Of course, the game wouldn't be complete without a yellow for the Sergio Ramos of Dynamo, Australian Luke Wilkshire. Amkar's set pieces went resultless as the home team prodded them with one attack after the other, almost leading to a double for Kuranyi. Kokorin left the pitch to a standing ovation by Dynamo fans. It took one more mistake, however, for Dynamo to concede yet another goal in today's game. Breznanik scored in the last seconds of added time from a free kick right inside the box, completely unmarked by the home team's defenders.

Though a crowd of only 4,134 fans witnessed the spectacle, the impact of the match remains. Whether there's a Bundesliga crowd of 80,000, an MLS record of 60k or not enough fans to fill one fourth of a stadium, both teams must perform to their maximum. Dynamo certainly did. Amkar's two goals aside, there's absolutely nothing the Moscovites could have done better in today's game. When you're a team that's in last place, the important thing is to get the three points you need to keep moving up, regardless of the final score. Dynamo did what they had to do, earning their second win of the season and leading FC Amkar to their third loss. Another Moscow team, CSKA, won 3:2 against Volga. Most RPL games so far have had at least 5 goals in total. This season is turning out to be the most interesting yet!


Dynamo played a very attack-oriented game, not unlike EPL giants Arsenal, which makes sense given Dan Petrescu's playing career at Chelsea and admiration of EPL managers like Sir Alex Ferguson. The team played brilliantly on counters as well. In a post-match interview, Petrescu expressed his delight with the result, though not with the conceded goals. He justified the supporters' negativity with the team. He thinks they are entitled to their opinion and have every right to be dissatisfied with the club, given Dynamo's results and current position in the league. There's also the fact that the club cannot exist without the support of its fans. Petrescu said he's far from the reality of what he wants to achieve with Dynamo, but that the team is definitely getting there. 

Dynamo fans celebrate a well-earned victory. Photo: fcdynamo.ru

- The second win of the season, defeating a team that's currently a strong contender for the middle of the RPL table.
- The end of captain Kuranyi's goalless streak. He scored and got an assist on the equalizer.
- Dynamo playing an attack-oriented game for a full 90+ minutes despite the lack of strikers on the roster.
- Sponsor VTB Bank's President Andrei Kostin's birthday.
- The ability to create almost immediate counters.
- Newcomer Jakob Jantscher's first-ever goal for Dynamo in only his second match.
- The fact that another player might be joining the Blue-and-Whites - there's talk of 32-year-old Honduran forward David Suazo of Calcio Catania joining the team as a free agent.


The road to victory in the 21st century for a club that once tied with Chelsea and defeated Arsenal in the 1940's is turning out to be quite the exciting one.



Russian Premier League - 9th matchday
Saturday, September 22, 2012, 7:45AM EST

FC Dynamo Moscow vs. FC Amkar Perm - 3:2 (1:1)
Referee: Alexei Nikolaev (Moscow)
Arena: Arena Khimki (Khimki)
Goals: 
0:1 Martin Jakubko (25')
1:1 Jakob Jantscher (Asst. Kevin Kuranyi) (30')
2:1 Kevin Kuranyi (Asst. Balazs Dzsudzsak) (78') 
3:1 Aleksandr Kokorin (Asst. Zvjezdan Misimovic) (83')
3:2 Michal Breznanik (Asst. Pavel Ignatovich) (90+2')


HT Stats:
10(5):4(3) - shots (on goal)
53%:47% possession
1:0 corners
1:1 offsides
0:2 subs made
6:8 fouls
0:3 yellow cards
0:1 red cards

FT Stats:

28(13):7(4) - shots (on goal)
61%:39% possession
6:0 corners
3:2 offsides
-- all subs made --
11:13 fouls
3:4 yellows
0:1 red cards