Krasnodar defeated Fakel Voronezh in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw in their Russian Cup Group B match on Tuesday. Magomed Ozdoev scored the equalizing goal in regular time before converting the decisive spot-kick to secure victory for the visiting side.
The win moves Krasnodar to seven points from three matches, placing them at the top of their group table in the RPL Path of the tournament. Fakel remain at the bottom of the four-team group with a single point after three rounds.
Host side Fakel opened the scoring in the 59th minute when Anton Kovalev found the net to give his team a second-half lead in front of their home supporters in Voronezh. Krasnodar responded almost immediately, drawing level just one minute later through Ozdoev to bring the match to 1-1.
With neither team able to score again during regulation time, the contest proceeded directly to a penalty shootout under tournament regulations. Ozdoev converted the winning penalty to seal the outcome for head coach Murad Musayev's team.
Second-half drama in Voronezh
The fixture was played as part of the third round of matches in the group stage of the Fonbet Russian Cup. Under the competition format designed for Russian Premier League clubs, teams competing in the RPL Path are divided into four groups of four teams each.
Matches in this stage of the competition cannot end in a draw. Teams receive three points for a regulation victory, two points for winning a penalty shootout after a draw, and one point for losing the shootout. Krasnodar earned two points for their shootout success, bringing their tournament tally to seven points.
Krasnodar, founded in 2008 and based in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar, currently compete at the highest level of domestic football. Head coach Murad Musayev has prioritized strong performances across both domestic league fixtures and cup competitions during his tenure with the club.
Tournament standings and group outlook
Fakel Voronezh, based in central Russia, have struggled to build momentum in Group B. Their single point leaves them anchored to the bottom of the four-team group, placing them under pressure heading into the second half of the six-game group stage.
The Russian Cup RPL Path structure allows the top two teams from each group to advance to the upper bracket of the knockout rounds, while the third-placed club transitions to the lower bracket. The team finishing in fourth place is eliminated from the competition entirely.
Elsewhere in the Russian Cup on Tuesday, Lokomotiv Moscow extended their recent winless streak. Playing away in Samara, Mikhail Galaktionov's team lost to Akron in a penalty shootout following a goalless draw, with Akron prevailing 1-0 in the spot-kicks.
Upcoming fixtures
Krasnodar and Fakel are scheduled to meet again in the fourth round of Group B fixtures on October 13. That return match will take place at Krasnodar's home venue, with kickoff scheduled for 18:00 Moscow time.
