Krasnodar beat Rostov in RPL Round 19, Spertsyan scores

Krasnodar began the official part of 2026 with a victory. In Round 19 of the Russian Premier League, the Bulls defeated Rostov 2–1 at home and retained the top spot in the standings.

The scoring was opened as early as the 8th minute. Armenia national team captain Eduard Spertsyan won a penalty and confidently converted it himself to give the hosts the lead. Late in the first half, Rostov managed to equalize — Alexey Mironov converted a penalty kick.

In the second half, Rostov found themselves in a difficult situation. In the 51st minute, defender Chistyakov received a straight red card, leaving his team with ten men. Krasnodar capitalized on their numerical advantage in the 73rd minute, when Nikita Krivtsov scored the winning goal. Deep into stoppage time, in the 95th minute, Rostov were reduced to nine men after Vakhaniya was sent off.

Eduard Spertsyan played the full 90 minutes and was one of the best players on the pitch. Rostov midfielder Khoren Bayramyan came on in the 83rd minute.

Eduard Spertsyan’s statistics:

• Shots: 4 (2 on target)
• Key passes: 3
• Accurate passes: 26 (74%)
• Successful dribbles: 2/3
• Penalties won: 1
• Possession lost: 18
• Tackles: 3
• Duels won: 6/12
• Aerial duels: 3/4
• SofaScore rating: 8.3

After 19 rounds, Krasnodar continue to lead the RPL standings, strengthening their position in the title race.