Match Report
On paper the standings were lopsided — Kuban' Krasnodar 1st with 80 points, SKA Rostov 11th with 50, 30 apart. SKA Rostov's recent output outran their position: 1st on form over five rounds, 11th in the table. Per game in the league, Kuban' Krasnodar were scoring 1.35 and conceding 0.49, SKA Rostov 0.86 and 1.03, against a competition average of 1.13 goals per team per game.
Momentum sat with Kuban' Krasnodar, winners of their last five, having scored in 6 consecutive games. SKA Rostov had not lost in 6 games. The last-five ledger: Kuban' Krasnodar 15/15, SKA Rostov 9/15.
The venue was Stadion Kuban' in Krasnodar, with room for 31,654 spectators. Kuban' Krasnodar led 1-0 at the break — the second half brought no more goals and it finished 1-0.