Football national league tournament. “Orenburg” and “Wings of the Soviets” entered the RFPL directly

58 - Internal news page

The final round of the championship, the matches of which took place on Saturday, was decisive for many clubs.

9:41 13.05.2018

The Orenburg football club became the champion of the Football National League (FNL), four more teams were relegated to the Professional Football League (PFL) at the end of the season. The final round of the championship, the matches of which took place on Saturday, was decisive for many clubs.

Final standings of the FNL championship 2017/18

The main intrigue of the final round of the FNL championship arose at the bottom of the standings. Six teams competed to retain their place in the first division: Moscow “Spartak-2”, Tomsk “Tom”, St. Petersburg “Zenit-2”, “Rotor-Volgograd”, Vladivostok “Luch-Energia” and “Tyumen”.

According to the regulations, following the results of the FNL championship, five clubs are relegated from the league, and next season they play in the PFL. However, earlier the Russian Football Union (RFU) reported that not a single club in the Vostok zone of the PFL had applied for FNL licensing, so only four teams would be relegated from the first to the second division.

As a result, Voronezh “Fakel”, “Tyumen”, “Luch-Energia” and “Rotor-Volgograd” are leaving the first division. Zenit-2, which took 16th place, retained its registration in the league thanks to the teams of the PFL East zone. “Tom” played a draw with “Kuban” and remained in the FNL, taking 15th place. In the 80th minute of the match with Siberia, after a goal by Zelimkhan Bakaev, Spartak-2 (2:1) was saved from relegation, rising to 14th place.

The head coach of Spartak-2 said at a press conference that his players were prevented from performing more successfully by poor execution of chances.

“We knew that only a victory would leave us in the FNL, we tuned in, prepared for it, the guys realized everything. The difficulty of the situation lasts throughout the spring, but the players showed their best qualities, for which we thank them. I don’t know how many rods and crossbars there were, but the ball didn’t want to go into the goal, the execution lets us down,” he said.

“Orenburg” and “Krylya Sovetov” entered the RFPL directly

Among the teams directly qualifying for the Russian Football Premier League (RFPL), there is still some intrigue before the final round of the FNL championship. At the top of the standings, the question of who would become the league champion was decided.

Orenburg and Krylya Sovetov, which took first and second place respectively, lost points in their matches. The Orenburg team tied with Tambov (1:1), and the Samara club lost to Luch-Energia (0:2). Thus, in the FNL championship of the 2017/18 season, Orenburg won (84 points), advancing to the RFPL from first place for the second time in its history. Samara's Krylya Sovetov (82 points) rose from second place to the major league.

Before the final round of the championship, the question of who would fall into the play-off zone had already been decided: Krasnoyarsk “Yenisey” took third place in the FNL, and “Tambov” took fourth. Their opponents, who will take 13th and 14th places in the RFPL, will be determined on Sunday.

Enisey's rival will be either Anzhi Makhachkala or Tosno from the Leningrad region, currently occupying 14th and 15th places in the RFPL, respectively. There are many more candidates for 13th place in the major league: Tambov’s opponent could be Perm’s Amkar, Rostov, Kazan’s Rubin, Moscow’s Dynamo or Yekaterinburg’s Ural.

The best championship in the last 7 years

After the final round of the FNL, the league president, in a conversation with TASS, summed up the results of the season. In his opinion, interest in the FNL championship is growing every year. “This championship was probably the most interesting in the last seven years. This season, the test matches showed people's interest in the games, and I hope this trend will continue,” he said.

Despite the end of the FNL season, the list of clubs that have left the league is not yet final. If one of the winning teams in its PFL zone fails to pass FNL licensing, then the club that took the highest place among those eliminated will remain in its place in the first league. Currently, Rotor-Volgograd, which took 17th place, has the greatest chance of maintaining its registration in the FNL. Behind it were located sequentially “Luch-Energia”, “Tyumen” and “Fakel”.

“The 16th place is definitely not relegated and remains in the league. For the rest, let’s wait for licensing. According to the regulations, four teams are relegated from the FNL, but in fact we will wait for information from the licensing commission and on May 15 it will be possible to give some comments,” - Efremov emphasized.

A meeting of the FNL club licensing commission will be held at the RFU on Monday. All leaders of their PFL zones, except for “East”, submitted documents to undergo this procedure: “Chertanovo” (zone “West”), “Ararat” (zone “Center”), “Mordovia” (zone “Ural-Volga region”) and “ Afips" with "Armavir" (zone "South").

The Football National League (FNL) is the second most important league in Russian football after the RPL. The tournament changed its format several times. Today, 20 teams take part in it, playing with each other in a two-round system “autumn - spring”.

The two best clubs directly enter the Premier League, two more teams that took 3rd and 4th place play transition matches with the clubs that took 13th and 14th place in the RPL. The last five teams are relegated to the PFL.

Features of betting on FNL

Speaking about the features of betting on the FNL, first of all it is worth noting the specifics of the tournament. Several points can be highlighted here.

Long haul flights

In the FNL, teams play from different parts of the country, and in pre-match analysis it is always necessary to take into account such a factor as the distance between the cities that the clubs represent. After long flights and time zone changes, it takes time to acclimatize, and the visiting team does not always manage to get into the right tone for the match.

Low performance

One of the most common outcomes in FNL games is 1:0 or 0:1. This score occurs on average every fourth match of the season. Low performance, rather frequent boring matches and weak attacking play of most teams are the main reasons why Russian fans sarcastically began to call the FNL “the best league in the world.”

"Strange" matches

Many people are aware of match-fixing in the lower football leagues of Russia. Evidence of such matches has been presented more than once, but Russian football officials categorically deny the existence of such games.

Unpredictable and strange matches include games in another category: not all representatives of the FNL are able to financially reach the level of the Premier League, so at the end of the championship, teams, being at the top of the standings, begin to “give” matches to opponents, just to avoid getting into the RPL.

In the second round of the championship, those who are used to betting on favorites should be especially careful: it is necessary to thoroughly study the latest news from the teams and analyze the quotes of bookmakers.

How to choose a bet on FNL

FNL is a unique tournament that has its own specifics and unique identity. You can bet on National Football League championship matches at any place.

All information about the tournament necessary for betting is presented on the page above. On it you can see the schedule and results of matches, as well as learn about the best odds for FNL games. On each meeting page you can find the latest news about the teams and statistics of their previous performances. Also, all visitors to our website have access to free FNL forecasts from Legalbet experts and cappers.

The summer-autumn part of the FNL championship season has come to an end. Her last tour was filled with interesting events and unexpected results. We summed up the results of the gaming day in this review.

Rotor topped the table

Volgograd "Rotor", the so-called autumn champion. In the twenty-fifth round, Igor Menshchikov’s team pleased the fans with a home victory over Tom. The hosts started the match briskly. During the opening period of the first half, they made several promising attacks, and one of them resulted in a goal for the Siberians. Bayryev responded to Pesegov's free kick and headed the ball into the net. The Rotor players were not going to stop there. At the end of half an hour of playing time, they produced a powerful three-minute segment. First, Tkachuk shook the crossbar of Babylin’s possession with his powerful blow. Next, the goalkeeper played for the guests, taking Evseev’s shot, and the Tom goalkeeper coped with Tkachuk’s finishing move. A corner kick by the hosts led to a penalty kick. Ediev played with his hand inside the penalty area. The penalty kick was taken by Sultonov, but Muhammad’s shot from the point was dragged away by Vavilin. By some miracle, the visitors avoided conceding a second goal before the break. In the second half of the meeting the nature of the game did not change. It cannot be said that the hosts spent much more time with the ball. But Menshchikov’s team attacked much more sharply. Vavilin continued to regularly help out guests in difficult situations. Only towards the end of the second forty-five minutes did the Volgograd team score the coveted second goal and remove all questions about the winner. Tkachuk made a throw from the left flank into the goalkeeper's area, from where for some reason Mullin, who was unattended, sent a projectile into the net of the Tomsk team's goal. Rotor has not lost eleven rounds in a row and went into the winter break as the championship leader. “Tom”, in turn, dropped to tenth position at the end of the round.

Torpedo lost for the third time in a row

Moscow Torpedo frankly failed at the end of the summer-autumn part of the season. Over the last four rounds before the winter break, the Avtozavodtsy managed to score only one point. In the reporting round, Sergei Ignashevich’s team hosted Luch at Luzhniki and suffered a third defeat in a row. They never gave the Torpedo players the opportunity to say goodbye to their home stadium on Vostochnaya Street, which will soon be closed for large-scale reconstruction. But the fans in the arena named after Eduard Streltsov finally organized a colorful performance. As for the match itself, the first half was not eventful. However, we saw several dangerous moments. During the opening period of the game, Kutyin could well have scored, but Alexander shot wide from an advantageous position. Soon, the Far Eastern goalkeeper Kotlyarov made a memorable save, stopping Galoyan's sharp shot. Shortly before the break, Kotlyarov's counterpart Tsygan showed himself above all praise, reacting well to a shot from close range by Nasadyuk. But immediately after the break, Valery Petrakov’s team opened the scoring in the match. Salamatov, after Kutyin's discount, jumped into the operational space and fired a great shot under the crossbar. Such an event broke the “automakers”. They couldn’t really come to their senses and organize anything sensible in the attack. But “Luch” continued to harass the opponent. In the 64th minute, Tsygan saved the Muscovites from conceding a second goal, coping with Aliyev’s difficult shot. True, Said soon achieved his goal and doubled the advantage of the Far Easterners. Aliyev was on the lookout for a mistake by Torpedo's defense and calmly realized a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper. In the remaining time, Ignashevich’s team tried to correct the situation. At the very end, Sergeev scored with a shot into the crossbar of Kotlyarov’s goal. The black and whites couldn't even get one goal back. A series of defeats led to the capital club losing its lead in the standings, although not long ago its position seemed unshakable. “Luch” won a second victory in a row under the leadership of Petrakov and left the relegation zone, rising to fifteenth place.

Khimki stumbled in Krasnodar

Khimki, located near Moscow, had an uneven end to the summer-autumn part of the season. In the previous three matches they won only one victory. It was obtained in the last round over Chertanovo. Andrei Talalaev's team was unable to leave the championship break on a positive note. She failed to achieve the desired result in the away game against Krasnodar-2. Moreover, the Moscow region club started the meeting successfully. In the middle of the first half, he opened the scoring in the match thanks to a magnificent overhead kick performed by Umaev. However, the guests did not rejoice for long. After half an hour, the bulls restored parity. Their corner kick resulted in a successful strike from Sergeev. Moreover, the southerners did not stop there and were able to organize Generalov’s second goal before the break. The hosts again came to the aid of a set-piece play, which culminated in a successful shot by Grigoryan. That's how quickly the Krasnodar team made a radical change in the game. Moreover, immediately after the break, Grigoryan had an excellent opportunity to score a double, but after his header the ball hit the crossbar in Generalov's possession. The Khimki players were unable to seize the initiative for quite a long time and organize meaningful possession of the opponent’s goal. Only in the final period of the game did the guests switch to decisive attacking actions. Krasnodar-2 goalkeeper Adamov made several memorable saves. Also, the “bulls” were once rescued by defender Bochco, who knocked a shot out of an empty goal. However, towards the end of regular time, Talalaev’s team still escaped defeat. She was helped by a “corner” play, which culminated with a cool strike from Aliyev. Combat draw. Khimki went into the winter break in third place in the table. "Krasnodar-2", in turn, is located in thirteenth position.

Minimal victories for Chertanovo and Neftekhimik

Chertanovo finished the first part of the season in fourth place. In the reporting round, the Moscow team prevailed over Khabarovsk SKA on their field. The guests entered the game well and in the first minutes created a promising chance near the opponent's goal, but Lomaev coped with Gadzhimuradov's shot. But then the situation on the field took on a more expected form. The “devils” took possession of the territorial advantage and began to look for weak points in the enemy’s defense. During the first forty-five minutes, Igor Osinkin’s team organized several excellent chances, but Zavezen and twice Gerchikov did not take advantage of the available opportunities. After the break, the nature of the game did not change. Chertanovtsy attacked a lot and periodically very dangerously. At the end of the hour of playing time, Sarveli could have scored, but after his shot from the goal line the projectile flew above the target. A little later, Vladislav still hit the enemy's possession, but his goal was canceled by the referee team due to offside. But in the middle of the half, the Chertanovo players still converted their territorial advantage over the opponent into a scored goal. The omnipresent Sarveli earned a penalty kick, which was successfully converted by Vitiugov. The Khabarovsk team, naturally, tried to correct the situation in the remaining time and organize at least some semblance of pressure on the opponent’s goal, but the Muscovites quite confidently retained their minimal advantage in the score. The defeat dropped the Far Easterners to eighth place in the table.

Nizhnekamsk Neftekhimik can safely be called the main discovery of the summer-autumn part of the championship. Yuri Utkulbaev’s team went into the winter break fifth, only two points behind the “seam” zone. In the twenty-fifth round, the team from Tatarstan defeated Yenisei at home. The first half did not turn out to be rich in interesting episodes. But the second half of the meeting turned out to be more eventful. The Neftekhimik players switched to decisive attacking actions and gradually began to find vulnerabilities in the Siberian defense. At the end of an hour of playing time, Oparin helped out the guests in a difficult situation, coping with Makarov’s sharp shot. But in the middle of the half, the Nizhnekamsk team took the lead. Their corner kick ended with a successful strike from Uridia. Having seized the lead, Utkulbaev's team slowed down and began to act more with an eye on defense. The Krasnoyarsk team managed to organize some kind of final pressure on the other team's goal, but it turned out to be unsuccessful. Moreover, Yuri Gazzaev's team was forced to finish the match in the minority. Already in the added time by the referee, Savichev got sent off. Neftekhimik won the case, extending its unbeaten streak to seven games. “Enisey” finished the first part of the championship in seventeenth place.

Sensation in Kaliningrad

An extremely unexpected result was recorded in Kaliningrad, where Baltika lost to Mordovia. Evgeniy Kaleshin's team predictably had a huge territorial advantage throughout the match, created many dangerous moments near the opponent's goal, but did not succeed in converting them. But the locusts, in rare counterattacks, managed to hit the Borisko goal twice. Both goals scored happened in the second forty-five minutes. At the end of an hour of playing time, the guests earned a corner, which ended with a successful shot from the “second floor” performed by Yusupov. And at the end of regular time, Ermakov, who came on as a substitute, doubled Mordovia’s advantage in the score, successfully finishing off his partner’s serve from the right flank. Baltika lost at home for the first time since July 28 and dropped to seventh place in the standings. Saranchan, in turn, broke a streak of ten matches without a win, won only their second away victory of the season and rose to eighteenth place in the table.

Shinnik and Chaika won at home

Shinnik took advantage of Baltika's unexpected mistake. The Yaroslavl team beat Tekstilshchik in excellent style at home and rose to sixth position in the table. From the very first minutes, the hosts organized a flurry of dangerous attacks on the Ivanovo team’s goal. Tekstilshchik goalkeeper Smirnov made several excellent saves. Samodin demonstrated the greatest focus on the opponent's goal. Sergei did not take advantage of several good chances, but shortly before the break he still achieved his goal and opened the scoring. The Shinnik striker successfully headed in Aleinikov's cross from the corner. In the second half of the meeting, Alexander Pobegalov's team did not slow down. She continued to control the game and extended the lead midway through the half. The hosts earned a penalty kick, which was successfully converted by Nizamutdinov. And already at the end of regular time the difference in the score reached a devastating level. Oleynikov was on the lookout for his opponent's grave mistake and calmly outplayed Smirnov in close combat. The Yaroslavl team finished the summer-autumn part of the season with a bang, gaining ten points in their last four matches. Tekstilshchik suffered its third defeat in a row and the seventh in the previous eight games. Denis Boyarintsev’s team went on the winter break, being in nineteenth place.

The home premiere for the new Chaika head coach Magomed Adiev was successful. The club from Peschanokopsky took over Armavir. This match did not turn out to be rich in bright episodes. The fate of this confrontation was decided by a single goal scored. Shortly before the break, the hosts earned a penalty kick, which was successfully converted by Bezdenezhnykh. The Armavir team failed to make a difference in the game in the second forty-five minutes. The sandcop goalkeeper Kiselyov, in fact, never seriously entered the game during the match. “Chaika” won two victories in two matches under the leadership of Adiev and rose to ninth place in the table at the end of the round. “Armavir”, in turn, dropped to thirteenth place.

Showdown in Voronezh

“Nizhny Novgorod” had a successful trip to Voronezh to visit the local “Fakel”. All the key events of this match occurred in the final period of the second half. For most of the meeting, the Nizhny Novgorod team looked more interesting than their opponents and managed to open the scoring in the 73rd minute. Golyshev picked up the ball on the penalty line, dealt with the marker and hit Buchnev's possession. Robert Evdokimov’s team didn’t stop there and literally immediately scored the second goal, eliminating all questions about the winner. The guests' corner kick ended with a successful strike from Stavpets. The three points scored did not allow Nizhny Novgorod to rise above eleventh place in the table. “Fakel”, in turn, went into the winter break as the main outsider of the championship. At the end of the match, several people ran onto the field and wanted to deal with the players of the Voronezh club. A fight broke out, but law enforcement quickly stopped this outrage. No matter how badly the team plays, it’s simply shameful to do such things.

“Spartak-2” and “Avangard” did not reveal the winner

Finally, in Moscow, in the chronologically starting match of the tour, “Spartak-2” and “Avangard” parted peacefully. The first half was extremely unsuccessful for the red and white. Already in the 18th minute they found themselves in the role of catching up. The free kick played by the Kursk team ended with a successful shot from Gotsuk. The troubles for Viktor Bulatov's team did not end there. After half an hour of playing time, she remained in the minority. Petrunin was punished with a second yellow card for a boorish blow to Zemskov’s chest. The Kursk team completely controlled the course of the meeting, but after the break the nature of the game began to change. The Spartak team did not lose heart, seized the initiative and managed to avoid defeat. In the middle of the second half, Rudenko responded to his partner’s throw and calmly beat Chagrov. In the remaining time, the hosts had real opportunities to snatch victory, but the score remained unchanged until the final whistle. Combat draw. “Spartak-2” left for the winter break in sixteenth place, and “Avangard” in fourteenth.