Saransk – Iranian striker Sardar Azmoun has scored a goal in two consecutive matches as Rostov continue their drive to claim the Russian Premier League title but suffered a setback on the road in a 2-1 loss to FC Mordovia on 1 May.
The first half was scoreless but Mordovia struck first right before the hour mark when forward Sergei Samodin beat the offside trap on a nice pass and put his shot past keeper Soslan Dzhanayev.
Three minutes later, Ecuadorian midfielder Christian Noboa came close to equalizing for Rostov when his free kick hit the top of the crossbar.
Sardar Azmoun did not start in this match but came on as a substitute in the 63rd minute for Dmitry Poloz. Four minutes later, Azmoun received a long pass in the penalty area from Timofei Kalachev. The Iranian striker chested the ball down quickly and fired it into the far corner to tie the game 1-1.
In the 85th minute, a nice run from Aslan Dudiyev down the right side and into the penalty area led to a foul being committed by Spanish defender Cesar Navas from behind. Navas received a yellow card and Slovenian midfielder Dalibor Stevanovic converted the penalty kick to give Mordovia a 2-1 win over Rostov.
The victory was huge for Mordovia as they are battling to stay out of the relegation spots. They currently occupy one of the two relegation play-off spots and are only one point clear of Kuban Krasnodar in the second to last relegation spot.
Rostov Coach Kurban Berdyev had nothing to be happy about due to the loss and CSKA Moscow’s road win over Ural on 28 April. The flip flopping at the top of the table continues as Rostov are in second place with fifty-one points and trail CSKA Moscow by two points.
On 6 May, Rostov will battle Lokomotiv Moscow at home and CSKA Moscow will entertain Terek Grozny at home one day later.