“Daku’s match spectacle: scored two, chasing a record, and brought Moreno closer to dismissal

“Misconception”

Sochi earned the right to compete in the Premier League last season by winning the relegation playoffs against Pari NN. However, their start in the top division has been quite unfortunate. In the first two rounds, Roberto Moreno’s team openly failed, suffering two defeats with a total score of 0-7.

Despite this, Rubin's head coach Rashid Rakhimov paid tribute to the opponent before the game. According to him, considering the Sochi team weak is a misconception. There can be no laxity.

Rubin’s players took their coach’s advice to heart and went forward from the first minutes. Almost immediately, Aleksandar Jukic had a chance; in the opening seconds, he ran one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but defender Nabil Aberdin managed to intervene. The match was especially important for the Austrian midfielder because, firstly, he had played for Sochi before coming to Kazan, and secondly, it was his first start since August 2024 following a serious injury.

On the 9th minute, there was almost another one-on-one situation. Mirlind Daku delayed his shot and adjusted his position. However, VAR referees asked the main referee to review the episode due to a slight handball by a Sochi defender. Eventually, the decision was changed, and Daku himself converted the penalty — 1:0.

Sochi’s Chance at the End of the First Half

The first half-hour belonged to Rubin. Rakhimov’s players confidently controlled the ball and created a couple of dangerous chances against Sochi’s goal, but the hosts could not extend their lead with another goal.

Sochi’s coach Moreno reacted with a double substitution, one due to Ruslan Magal’s injury. The changes lifted the spirit of the visiting team, especially Anton Zinkovsky. The former Spartak midfielder persistently pushed forward down the left flank, repeatedly troubling Rubin’s defense.

The three most dangerous moments for Rubin’s goal were connected to him. First, Zinkovsky’s cross almost found a teammate at the far post, then he shot dangerously—but directly at the goalkeeper. The best save from Kazan’s goalkeeper came on the 40th minute when Evgeny Staver jumped to parry a close-range shot from Martin Kramaric, then managed to clear the ball with his foot to the edge of the penalty area.

Daku Comes Even Closer to the Record

After the match, Daku admitted that at halftime Rakhimov asked the team to improve their concentration. Since the middle of the first half, it felt like Rubin had relaxed a bit against one of the tournament's outsiders. They couldn’t afford to play like that anymore; a goal against Staver was imminent.

The break did not benefit the home team; Sochi continued pressing. Zinkovsky again dominated, and Rubin had no answer to the midfielder’s threat. Kazan woke up only after Ilya Rozhkov’s injury. The defender was hurt during a play and could not leave the field on his own for substitution.

Playing for himself and an injured teammate, Rubin managed to push the game away from their own goal. Rakhimov’s team didn’t create many chances but stopped dangerous approaches by the opponents. From the 75th minute, the game opened up. First, Alexey Gritsaenko headed over the goal from the goal area line, then Daku scored. The Albanian received a perfect long pass from Dmitry Kabutov, took a touch to control the ball, and struck precisely — 2:0.

This goal was Daku’s 28th for Rubin. In terms of goals scored in the Russian Premier League, the striker ranks fourth in the club’s history, behind legends Aleksandr Bukharov (33), Alejandro Dominguez (37), and Gökdeniz Karadeniz (39). Since arriving in Russia, only Matteo Casserra from Zenit has scored more, with 31 goals.

“Such Opponents Are Very Dangerous”

At the end, it was important to keep a clean sheet, and Staver earned his shutout with his performance. But the maximum plan for the game was not fully achieved. Rubin’s own defenders helped the opponents: Igor Vujacic and Alexey Gritsaenko both touched the ball after a flank cross, resulting in an own goal.

Sochi’s only goal against Staver was their first in the current championship. However, it did not help the team gain any points this season. With three losses in three matches and a goal difference of 1:9, Sochi showed the second-worst result in the history of the Russian Premier League. Only Krylya Sovetov had a worse start in the 24/25 season with zero points and a 1:10 goal difference after three matches.

This defeat brought Sochi’s head coach Roberto Moreno closer to dismissal. Questions about the Spanish specialist had been accumulating since last season. Zero points and the assured last place in the table, combined with a lackluster team performance, should give a solid reason for firing the foreign coach.

Rubin, on the other hand, with seven points after three rounds, is among the tournament’s top three. Only Lokomotiv had a better start with three wins. Krylya Sovetov and Baltika also have seven points.

— “Such opponents are very dangerous; they have a very good squad. We came to the game very motivated. At halftime, I said that for 35 minutes, we didn’t let the opponent do anything and controlled the game, but the last 10 minutes of the first half were not very good, and the start of the second half was also poor. When we returned to the game around the 60th minute, we started to play more actively, pressing and trying to win the ball. We created chances and scored the second goal, but the score was slippery. One episode near our goal ended with a goal and caused nervousness, but overall, the victory was deserved,” Rakhimov said on Match TV.

Rubin Kazan — Sochi — 2:1 (1:0, 1:1)
Goals:
1:0 — 12th min, Daku (penalty)
2:0 — 78th min, Daku (Kabutov assist)
2:1 — 86th min, Gritsaenko (own goal)

Rubin's next match will be on August 9 in Moscow against CSKA, starting at 15:45 Moscow time.