Ugochukwu Iwu starts for Rubin for the first time since surgery and plays full match

Armenia national team midfielder Ugochukwu Iwu played the full match for Rubin Kazan in the fourth round of the Russian Premier League. The game against Rostov ended in a 1–1 draw.

The match was particularly important for the 25-year-old midfielder, as Iwu made his first start for Rubin since returning from injury and completed the full 90 minutes. He underwent surgery in February and subsequently went through a rehabilitation period before gradually returning to full training and competitive action.

Against Rostov, Iwu was heavily involved in midfield. The Armenia international won 7 of his 10 duels, made two tackles and six recoveries. He also registered four clearances and completed his only dribble attempt.

Ugochukwu Iwu’s statistics against Rostov:

• Shots — 1;
• Accurate passes — 30 (67%);
• Fouls won — 1;
• Possession lost — 19;
• Successful dribbles — 1/1;
• Clearances — 4;
• Tackles — 2;
• Recoveries — 6;
• Duels won — 7/10;
• Aerial duels won — 3/7;
• Fouls committed — 2;
• SofaScore rating — 6.7.

The Russian Premier League fourth-round match ended 1–1. Rostov, playing their first home game of the season, took the lead in the 30th minute through Timur Suleymanov.

Rubin equalised after the break. Jacques Siwe converted a penalty in the 51st minute to make it 1–1, which remained the final score.

Timur Suleymanov, Rostov’s goalscorer, was named the WINLINE Player of the Match by the MATCH PREMIER expert.

After four rounds, Rostov and Rubin both have five points.

In the next round, Rostov will face Akhmat away in Grozny on August 22, while Rubin will travel to Kaliningrad to play Baltika on August 24.

For Iwu, completing a full match after a lengthy rehabilitation period marks another important step in his return to regular first-team football. The midfielder continues to regain his form following the surgery he underwent in February.