Match Report
Makhachkala, 2nd with 61 points, sat 23 points above Sokol Saratov (14th, 38). Sokol Saratov ranked 5th in the league on five-round form, well above their 14th table position. Scoring rates set the scale: Sokol Saratov 0.94 scored and 1.56 conceded per game, Makhachkala 1.09 and 0.56, with the league averaging 1.1.
Defeat had not touched Sokol Saratov in 6 games.
The venue was Stadion Lokomotiv in Saratov, with room for 15,000 spectators. Sokol Saratov led 1-0 at the break — the second half brought no more goals and it finished 1-0.