The muscovite turn the score around against city contenders Dynamo to seize the trophy again, with Krystal in third place
Lokomotiv Moscow has rounded a dream 2012 with the consecution of the Russian Cup, which they were indeed defending as current winners. The 2-5 win over neighbours Dynamo has got Leonov’s side retaining the trophy and adding it to the set of awards they have collected during this season, in which they have won every tournament they have taken part in, both Nationwide and internationally, with the Mundialito de Clubes they claimed in São Paulo.
Despite they had been facing tough times in the qualifying rounds of the Russian Cup, Lokomotiv ended up conquering the glory. Their winner formula of adding the talent of the likes of Madjer, Stankovic or Belchior to the core of the Russian National side worked excellently.
Such amount of powder turned absolutely necessary when Dynamo got 2-0 ahead in the first period. Before it got too late, the red side managed to stop their opponent’s hits, cutting the distance in the score before the first break. After that, Leonov side would never let Dynamo get to their nets again, and two 0-2 runs in the two remaining periods would have the win travelling to their hands, thanks to the goals by Stankovic, Shishin, Madjer, Krasheninnikov and Makarov.
Krystal jump onto the podium
In the match for the third place, Krystal knocked Spartak Moscow down rather clearly (0-4). Led by Brazilian legends Jorginho and Betinho Araujo, the Saint Petersburg-based side cruised past the muscovite to secure a bronze medal which Spartak saw quite far from the very beginning. Despite banking on the magic of Brazilian Bruno Malias, the capital side never managed to stand up after the first two goals by Krystal, and nothing they tried during the whole match found any reward.