Just finished watching the match, and it was a good one for CSKA. They pretty much dominated posession, and only at tight Saturn defense and some poor final touches for CSKA stopped the Army Side from winning this one by multiple goals. I thought #3 Zelao, [Saturn's new Brazilian defender] was very impressive.
These would be my ratings for CSKA which are pretty similar to those of Dmitriy:
Akinfeev (5.5): CSKA's solid defense really bottled up Saturn in the final third, and Igor really wasn't tested.
A. Berezutsky (6): Saturn attacked his brother much more, but Aleksei did just fine.
Ignashevich (6): I thought he was very solid in the heart of CSKA's defense. Never really looked troubled.
V. Berezutsky (7): I thought he was fantastic. Saturn really tried to pressure him on the left side of the pitch with Ivanov and others, but he was just a brick wall. I was impressed with his pace and footwork.
Odiah (5): I can't fault his workrate at all. He was absolutely relentless pushing down the right side of the pitch, but his crosses always left something to be desired.
Semberas (5): Quiet as usual with nothing fancy.
Dudu (5.5): As Dmitriy said, excellent workrate.
Krasic (5.5): Milos is always a frustrating player to watch. He is absolutely dazzling at times, and his pace is fantastic. But the fact that he dribbles with his head down stops him from becoming a truly great player. At one point, Jo was streaking to the goal wide open, but Krasic simply didn't see him, and by the time he looked up it was too late. Nevertheless, he still played hard and was very dangeorus.
Zhirkov (7): Absolutely fantastic run on the goal. He displayed tremendous pace, strength, and ball control. I've seen him twice this year, and both times he has been in fine form.
Jo (5.5): Great back flick to kick-start Zhirkov's amazing run, but otherwise Jo was defended very well by Zelao IMO. He was creative as always, and looked dangerous at times, but today simply wasn't his best. I think having a playmaker like Carvalho or Kalouda will benefit he and Vagner tremendously; the connection from the midfield to Jo and Vagner right now is just not quite clicking.
Vagner (5.5): Very nice finish off of Zhirkov's great pass. Otherwise he just didn't receive enough quality service IMO. Give credit to Saturn's defense; they really did a nice job on he and Jo. They simply weren't allowed much space, time or options IMO.
subs
Carvalho (5.5): This guy is the missing link to CSKA's attack IMO. As Dmitriy said, he didn't look great out there. Still, even in his diminished form, his wonderful creativity and pace drew a couple of blatant fouls. If Daniel can round into anywhere near the form that he was in a few years ago, I think CSKA might cruise to the title. In addition, I think this guy will create more space for Krasic and Zhirkov (which is good given their fine form), and provide better scoring opportunites for Jo and Vagner who look a bit frustrated out there.
Rahimic (NA)
