What is this place you keep calling London? - The Russian Revolution Challenge

[Guest]

July ‘07

Shevchuk joins Army

Ukrainian international left back Vyacheslav Shevchuk has joined CSKA from Shaktar on a free transfer stating that he looks forward to helping CSKA in a successful European campaign and is especially excited about working with manager Shiagichevskiy.

a Zenith Peterburg 1-0 Popov

h Saturn 2-0 Samodin, Popov

a Krylja Sovetov 1-0 Samodin

h Rotor 3-0 Samodin, Popov(2)

Another manager falls by the wayside as Chernomorets are actively looking for a new boss, Spartak boss Oleg Romantsev spoke to me the other day saying that his neck is on the block as well unless they close some ground on us in the coming weeks. The CSKA juggernaut is starting to have an impact on the landscape of Russian football, and I like it! Young forward Samodin has taken his chances as a replacement for the veteran Salva as I prime Salva for the European matches coming up.

[Guest]

August ‘07

h Tom 5-0 Jofre(2), Samodin, Popov(2)

a Amkar 2-1 Salva, Popov

a Dinamo Moskva 1-0

a Rangers UEFA Champions League 3rd Qualifying Phase 1st Leg

(4-4-2) Stanev – Shevchuk, Yevsikov, Chelyadinskiy, V.Berezutskiy – Jofre, Yanovskiy, Jarosik, Marinelli – Salva (Samodin), Popov

In a tight first half there were few chances, Rangers were lacking creative endeavour and to be honest CSKA looked happy too settle for a scoreless result. The second half looked to be heading the same way before CSKA introduced Samodin for Salva up front, with 15 minutes left Popov set up Samodin in the area and his strike beat Klos but couldn’t beat the crossbar. Deep in injury time Klos saved Rangers again when he deflected Jofre’s vicious strike just wide of the far post.

0-0

h Torpedo Moskva 3-1 Samodin, Chelyadinskiy, Popov

a Rostov 4-0 Popov(2), Salva, Jarosik

h Rangers UEFA Champions League 3rd Qualifying Phase 2nd Leg

(4-4-2) Stanev – Shevchuk, Yevsikov, Chelyadinskiy, V.Berezutskiy – Jofre, Yanovskiy, Jarosik, Marinelli – Salva (Samodin), Popov

CSKA opened brightly with Salva testing Klos early, the German making a reflex save and Yanovskiy fired over with the rebound. On 35 minutes Popov fed the ball to Salva at the edge of the area, the Spaniard turned his man and fired CSKA into the lead. Salva could have doubled the lead but didn’t trouble Klos from just 12 yards and in injury time Ferguson looked to have equalised when he beat Stanev from distance but the post denied him, half-time 1-0. Rangers just couldn’t penetrate the CSKA defence with Lovenkrands totally marked out of the play by Chelyadinskiy and on 58 minutes Salva sealed the result, dribbling round Klos to finish with ease following Jofre’s flick-on. Not to be outdone by his strike partner Popov then got in on the act, first finishing Salva’s cross from close range on 65 minutes and then doing it all himself, cutting in from the right on79 minutes before smashing the ball past Klos from 20 yards. An emphatic result for the Army men over a dishevelled Rangers outfit.

4-0 (Agg. 4-0)

Salva 35, 58

Popov 65, 79

Well a big month of football and following the good result against Rangers we are through to the lucrative group stage of the Champions League, drawn against Chelsea, AC Milan and Sporting Lisbon. Finally the club has cleared it’s debt following the 2.7m pound payment for Champions League qualification so now we can look forward and not worry about bad times of the past. The league is ridiculous right now, we have still only drawn one match with no losses so if we win the next 2 matches we could claim the title with over 2 months left! My friend Mr Romantsev has lost his job at Spartak now, he is not really my friend.

[Raptor]

Up and open

[Guest]

Cheers raptor! Time to get up to date now.

[Guest]

Cheers Raptor

[Guest]

Back on track. I wont be reporting on league fixtures now due to lack of time, Europe is the major consideration in any case

[Guest]

September '07

h Chelsea Champions League Group C

A rampant Chelsea hit the Streltsov today with Joe Cole giving his side the lead against former boss Shiagichevskiy with a delightful curling finish after leaving CSKA's midfield for dead. Two 2nd half Popov strikes could not save the Army Men as Duff and Mutu ensured Chelsea's dominance would count.

a AC Milan Champions League Group C

The San Siro was witness to a slaughter as giants Milan absolutely tore apart CSKA. After only 9 minutes Shevchenko and Kaka had Milan 2 up. CSKA had no answer to the ball movement of the Italians and Shevchenko made it 3-0 late on. It will be tough to turn it around now for CSKA.

a Sporting Lisbon Champions League Group C

In an evenly contested match between the 2 lesser sides in Group C Sporting came out on top with Iashvili's headed goal proving the difference. CSKA will rue the missed chances in this one for sure.

The worst possible beginning to our Europe campaign, further qualification in Champions League is now very unlikely, we must focus on finding some big match form and preparing for the UEFA Cup now i thinks. On a positive note we have claimed the Russian title with over 10 matches still remaining!!

[Guest]

October '07

h Sporting Lisbon Champions League Group C

This time CSKA took their chances against a tough Sporting side. Popov scored a classy hat-trick with strike partner Salva also getting on the scoresheet late in the match. Too little too late for CSKA, but at least they're finding the net now.

4-0

a Chelsea Champions League Group C

Chelsea once more proved their dominance over the Moscow side when they exploded in the 2nd half with a 3 goal onslaught, Duff, Gudjohnsen and Olisadebe doing the damage.

0-3

Now that we are definately out of CL we are preparing for UEFA Cup. Result against Sporting was promising as these are types of teams we will be up against in Cup i think.

[Guest]

November '07

h AC Milan Champions League Group C

Despite a huge performance by Shevchenko Milan could not get over a tenacious CSKA team, out to restore pride in their European campaign. A brace of 2nd half goals by Popov including a towering far post header ensured that the Army Men supporters had something to cheer about today. Bring on the UEFA Cup.

We have been drawn to play West Brom in the 3rd round of the UEFA Cup, with the league in cruise control these now become the 2 biggest matches of our season!

[Guest]

a WBA UEFA Cup 3rd Round 1st Leg

In a negative 1st half West Brom had the only real chances with Clement grazing the bar from a 25 yard free kick. Salva should have put CSKA ahead early in the 2nd half, one on one only to see his shot skid past the post from a tight angle. However on 65 minutes Salva made no mistake, put clean through by Popov he blasted the ball past Joe Murphy for a crucial away goal. To make it worse for West Brom who simply couldn't break down CSKA's dour defence Popov made it 2-0 ripping the tie away from WBA deep in injury time finishing clinically from a deft Jofre cross.

2-0

After a great away win we must now sure up our defence and look forward to next round hopefully.

h WBA UEFA Cup 3rd Round 2nd Leg

West Brom came out like a side with nothing to lose in Moscow, down 2-0 on aggregate they set about taking apart the disciplined CSKA side. By half time the Army Men had weathered West Brom's best attempts to reduce the defecit. Clement's 66th minute corner changed things, as Johnson rose to head home from close range West Brom gained confidence. Just 10 minutes later it was Clement who equalised strongly heading Wallwork's corner goalwards past Stanev. West Brom had pulled off an amazing comeback, but this game had one final twist. As CSKA pushed down the right West Brom's Clement attempted to head the ball back to Hoult in goals, Hoult however was rushing towards him and somehow the ball trickled over the goal-line for a dramatic CSKA winner.

1-2 (3-2 aggregate)

A bit close there, as the Russian season comes to an end i must look at strengthening our squad a little so we can once more challenge in Europe beyond this current campaign.

[Guest]

Winter '07/08

We have been drawn to play Georgian side Lokomotivi Tbilisi in the 4th Round of the UEFA Cup. This is a refreshing surprise but we must not assume this will be easy. We welcome the signings of Nikola Jolovic from Torpedo Moscow, a tough Yugoslavian defender who will give us much depth, and Slovakian national keeper Kamil Contofalsky.

[Guest]

February '08

h Lokomotivi Tbilisi UEFA Cup 4th Round 1st Leg

In a dominant performance CSKA could be seen to be unlucky to oly score 3 goals against it's outclassed Georgian opponent. Popov's heading dominance once more dismantled the lesser opposition with 2 goals and Alexey Berezutskiy joined the party with a rare goal venturing up from the back.

3-0

a Lokomotivi Tbilisi UEFA Cup 4th Round 2nd Leg

A fit Carlos Arturo Marinelli took to the Streltsov field much to the delight of the Army Men faithful who have seen much too little of the Argentinian due to injury over the past 12 months. In a dull match in which CSKA looked content to prepare for the quarter final however Marinelli ensured this match would be remembered in the 75th minute when he struck a 35 yard curling drive past Tbilisi's keeper to the delight of the fans.

1-0 (4-0 aggregate)

I am very happy with the style of football in which we defeated this little side. On to the quarter finals. UEFA Cup draw for quarter finals: Porto vs Inter, HSV vs Dinamo Kiev, Man City vs Saturn, CSKA vs Man Utd. Well, big tie now against Man Utd, i am very excited to say least.

[Guest]

March '08

The 2008 league campaign has started with a 6-1 demolition of neighbours Torpedo Moscow, my passion for the league is not there right now i must say.

a Manchester United UEFA Cup Quarter Final 1st Leg

Man Utd came out hard and fast against their upstart Russian opponents. After only 12 minutes Van Nistelrooy penetrated the CSKA back 4 to give Man U the lead, and if it hadn't been for the keeping heroics of Contafolskiy it would have been more before the half was up. Late in the 2nd half Pizarro made it 2-0 for the Red Devils and that was how it stood at full-time.

0-2

We were outplayed by a classy outfit much like when we played Milan at the San Siro, however i refuse to believe that we cannot reverse the result back in Russia. It will be cold, hard and fast at the Streltsov.

[Guest]

h Manchester United UEFA Cup Quarter Final 2nd Leg

For the first half a defensive Man U lineup held the desperste Russians who were pressing and scrambling for an edge, it looked like the Englishmen's tactics would hold up though as the game closed in on the hour mark. CSKA's potent strikeforce of Salva and Popov had been held comprehensively by Ferdinand and Silvestre - so far! In the 56th minute the veteran Spaniard Salva rose to head past Barthez from Jarosik's pinpoint cross providing a lifeline for the Russians. Despite further pressure it took until the 87th minute for CSKA to further trouble the United defence. Marinelli played a diagonal ball from his holding midfield role through to Salva on the right, still with work to do Salva cut inside the defence and fired a crashing drive past Barthez's outstretched left hand and in from an acute angle. The Spaniards left boot had brought CSKA level. Deep in injury time Sedunov had the chance to score the winner but he struck the ball against Barthez's crossbar from only 6 yards out and the game went to extra time. Despite many chance neither side could find a winner in ET. PENALTIES!

CSKA went first:

Jarosik - scores! 1-0

Kleberson - scores! 1-1

Salva - saved by Barthez!! 1-1

Simao - scores! 1-2

Popov - scores to level it! 2-2

P Neville - misses wide left!! 2-2

Varlamov - scores! 3-2

Nardiello - hits the right post!! 3-2

Sedunov - scores and CSKA win! 4-2

Wow! Sedunov with the nerves of steel.

[Guest]

2-0 (2-2 aggregate)(4-2 penalties)

[Guest]

April '08

Following the success over Man U in the UEFA Cup quarter final we have found ourself drawn to play the other Manchester in the semi final. I have been pleased by the play of veterans Peter Sedunov and Salva over the past few months, they have really stepped up for the big European games. My players really believe in themselves right now and with the big Slovakian Kontafalsky in fine form between the sticks i have no reason to believe we cannot win this whole damn cup.

[Guest]

a Manchester City UEFA Cup Semi Final 1st Leg

A lively City of Manchester Stadium greeted CSKA Moscow the home faithful in attendance with ambitions of seeing there beloved City into a commanding position and setting them on there way towards UEFA Cup glory. The first few minutes saw City all over CSKA, Selakovic and Alonso causing all sorts of trouble up front however both strikers blew good chances with Army Men keeper Kontafolsky amazingly tipping wide Selakovic's rasping 30 yard drive which was heading to the top corner. Despite City's dominance a sloppy piece of defensive saw Popov with CSKA's first chance of the match on 8 minutes, a misdirected pass saw Popov behind the defence and the big Russian made no mistake slotting past the stranded keeper with clinical accuracy. With a crucial away goal CSKA looked determined now and in a dour half neither side were able to create real chances. It would take some individual brilliance to pull City back into this one as the huge crowd began to murmur, you could feel the unease. City struggled to penetrate the tight CSKA defence however Selakovic continued to cause trouble with his dribbling ability and shooting range and on 56 minutes his goal bound 30 yard drive left Contafolsky stranded and the match was level 1-1. CSKA sat on there heels and City continued to attack but it was the Russians counter-attacking which began to look dangerous. On 76 minutes the big men ventured forward for an Army Men corner following sustained forward pressure, Marinelli swung the ball viciously towards the near post and Popov rose beating three defenders to nod CSKA back in front. This time they didn't let it slip.

Man City 1 - 2 CSKA Moscow

[Guest]

I can almost smell the UEFA final now, if we can get win or draw at the Streltsov then we will be one step closer to my dream of taking Russian club football up to the top. Looks like Inter will be in the final after easily disposing of HSV 3-0 in the first leg of the other semi.

[Guest]

h Manchester City UEFA Cup Semi Final 2nd Leg

If Man City held any belief that they could now upset the Russians in Moscow the temperature certainly may have dispelled that belief. In near freezing conditions CSKA tore apart City in the first half first Popov working to smash home Leonov's decisive cross, then Samodin broke behind City's defence making it 2-0 on half an hour and the small group of Army Men faithful could book their tickets for Bruges. In the second half Alonso pulled one back for City however just as quickly Popov headed home his second goal effectively killing off the tie as a competition. CSKA would play Inter Milan in the UEFA Cup final in two weeks time.

CSKA 3 - 1 Man City (5-2 agg.)

[Guest]

Injuries have been kind to us so far and for the UEFA Cup final we will only miss Vasily Berezutskiy from our best 11 players. I am contemplating going with a 4-5-1 formation rather than our usual 4-4-2 in an attempt to stifle Inter's quality midfield department. We'll just have to see now.

[Guest]

n Inter Milan @ Jan Breydelstadion, Bruges - UEFA Cup Final

{4-5-1) Contofalsky - Varlamov, Chelyadinskiy, Yevsikov, A. Berezutskiy - Marinelli, Jarosik, Yanovskiy, Sedunov, Leonov - Popov [subs used: Proshin, Salva, Jofre]

In the build up to the final CSKA boss Vlad Shiagichevskiy has continually backed his sides tenacious style against their silky smooth Italian counterparts, if it were a mental battle CSKA appear to have given themselves the edge. The game must be won on the pitch now.

In a tight first half CSKA appeared content to sit deep in their own half and pressure Inter. When Varlamov fouled Djordjevic on the edge of the area Materazzi stepped to the ball, placing it purposely Materazzi struck a curling right footed strike over the wall and past the outstretched left hand of Contofalsky bang into the post and Leonov scrambled clear the rebound. The only other real chance for the half came when Djordjevic struck a 30 yard drive which skimmed the cross bar for Inter. Half time 0-0.

[Guest]

2nd half and more of the same, CSKA absorbing Inter's attacks and looking to counter attack. With the introduction of the Spaniards Salva and Jofre the Army Men showed their intentions with 15 minutes left. Yet it was still Inter who looked more likely to score. In the 90th minute Ricardo Quaresma surged down the right for the Italians before swinging in a deep goal bound cross, Contofalsky managed to turn away the cross/shot but it fell to the feet of Crespo who with an open goal was beaten to the ball by a desperate Yevsikov who was never more than a yard away from the Argentinian all match. Full-time 0-0.

Extra time in the UEFA Cup final and the crowd at Jan Breydelstadion in Bruges is notably restless, expectations are high and the game is starting to free up from the tense struggle that preceded. Crespo miscued an early extra time opportunity for Inter and then Salva slashed a half chance just wide for the Russians. After 103 minutes of football CSKA won a corner when Materazzi deflected Jofre's cross behind the goal, Marinelli stepped up and whipped the corner towards Popov at the near post where the big Russian rose grandly to head past a distraught Toldo in Inter's goal. 1-0 to CSKA. Inter went all-out attack now and on 114 minutes Cannavaro setup an unmarked Basturk who from just 5 yards blasted the ball goalwards first time only to see Contofalsky pull off an amazing reflex save, Leonov cleared the ball behind out of Crespo's path and the Russians had escaped again. Salva headed clear the ensuing corner, as Inter's final hopes faded. The whistle blew on an epic encounter and CSKA had claimed the UEFA Cup.

CSKA 0 - 0 Inter {AET 1-0)

Popov 103

[Guest]

We have won European trophy now! I cannot believe that we beat team like Inter, Contofalsky was great in goal - better than great he was unbelievable. When i saw Popov jostling for position at that corner in extra time i just new that the big blonde born just yards from the Streltsov Stadium in Moscow would not miss his chance. The set pieces always go to near post for big Popov and Yevsikov to fight for and this is why. UEFA Cup Champions! Where to now?

[Guest]

Stage 2 Complete! Bit late and no-one cares about RR challenge anymore but too bad, there's more still to come.

[Dark_Soccer]

more to come....excellent cant wait....loving this story