Spartak beat Rubin and secured a playoff spot in the Russian Cup ahead of schedule

A victory that sealed the task ahead of schedule

Moscow Spartak beat Kazan Rubin 1:0 in the fifth-round match of the group stage of the RPL Path of the Russian Cup, held on October 28 at the capital's Lukoil Arena. The win allowed the Red-Whites to secure a playoff spot ahead of schedule — with a round to spare before the end of the group stage. The only goal was scored by midfielder Igor Dmitriev: as early as the seventh minute, he fired a long-range shot from outside the penalty area into the top corner of the opponent's goal (Life.ru).

Standings and what has changed

Thanks to the victory, Spartak collected 13 points and kept first place in Group A. Orenburg sits second with 10 points, followed by Rubin with four points and Moscow's Rodina with three. The early qualification for the playoffs means that the result of the final round will no longer affect the team's participation in the next stage: on November 26, Spartak will play away against Orenburg, while a day earlier Rubin will host Rodina at home. For Rubin, the defeat leaves the battle for second place in the group, which grants continued participation in the tournament — and that question will be settled in the match against Rodina. It is worth noting that Orenburg, currently second, had also already reached the quarterfinals by beating Rodina. The win over Rubin extended Spartak's successful run: in the previous, fourth round on October 15 in Khimki, the team, according to Life.ru, was trailing Rodina after the first half but turned the game around and won 4:2 — with a brace from Mirlind Daku and a goal from Manfred Ugalde, which at the time strengthened their lead in the group.