Stalemate as Lokomotiv share the spoils with Tom

A win was a more of a must rather than a need. However in a rather open training session-like match Lokomotiv failed to make their possesion count and thus, they were kept at bay. Semin, on his anticipated return to the Lokomotiv Stadium opted for a 4-4-2 formation. As expected Guilherme was favoured in place of Cech. The backline was made of Yanbaev and Kuzmin on the flanks while the veteran Sennikov partnered Rodolfo in the centre. In the middle, Dujmovic kept his place in the middle of the park while Charles lost his place to Glushakov. Fininho and Kocis started on the wings. Up front Semin opted for the partnership of Fall-Sychev.

The first half was rather a balanced one, in which except for a half chance neither team had a clear chance to break the deadlock. Both sets of defence seemed to be marshalled well and thus both goalkeepers were rarely threatened. However from the beginning the home side looked to be the one taking the initiative with some first touch football. Nevertheless unsurprisingly the the final pass was lacking. On the other hand Tom appeared to be happy to sit back and play for the draw. No wonder they operated with the counter-attacks which generally were well controlled by the Lokomotiv rearguared. The only chance of the first half fell at the feet of Fall, in which he through an acrobatic move from 5 metres out he could only hit the post.

During the interval Semin opted for a double substitution with Bilyaletdinov and Gatagov taking the place of the ineffective Fininho and Kocis respectively. The move seemed to pay dividends as Lokomotiv came out much more offensive than the first half. As the game progressed Gatagov grew in confidence and started to spray some inviting crosses. However nothing concrete materialised. On the other flank of the pitch Bilyaletdinov showed his lack of competitive playing time and rarely looked to threaten except for a solo run. Sychev looked desperate for the goal more than ever and although he tried and tried luck wasn't on his side today, for a change. One cannot help but feel badly for the lad. With 15 minutes remaining Tom produced their only chance of note in which Guilherme responded well to a strong header from 5 metres out. Shortly after Semin played his last card, Minchenkov for Fall. However the substution didn't worked out and thus Lokomotiv had to content with a draw. On the other hand Tom achieved what they played for. No Lokomotiv player was booked.

The match was controlled by Vyacheslav Popov from Yekaterinburg. 11, 800 were present at the stadium.

Player Ratings:

Guilherme - 7 - Strong in the air but need to work a little bit on his decision making though. Grew in confidence as the match progressed on. The only positive of a dull afternoon.

Yanbaev - 6.5 - Good at pushing forward and rarely troubled at the back
Sennikov - 6 - His age exposed both his experience and lack of agility.
Rodolfo - 6 - Rarely troubled and strong as usual. Tried his luck from distance but without results.
Kuzmin - 6 - Like his backline colleges rarely troubled a back.

Kocis - 5 - Poor game from the Romanian, unsurprisingly replaced at half time
Dujmovic - 6.5 - the best of the 4 in the middle.
Glushakov - 4.5 - really poor at passing the ball, couldn't get going. Seemed to be playing out of position.
Fininho - 4.5 - Totally Ineffective

Fall - 5.5 - Could have opened the score for Lokomotiv, but hit the post from close range. Personally his lack of agility hinders the fast passing game Semin wants.
Sychev - 6 - All he needs is just one goal, totally bereft of confidence. A moderate rating for his willingness to help the team.

Substitutions:
Gatagov - 6.5 - The most one likeliest to score for Lokomotiv. Best player of the second half. A hot prospect.
Bilyaletdinov - 6 - Introduced in the second half but exposed his lack of competitive football
Minchenkov - N/A - No time to influence the match.