Oh, until recently, the Champions League matches were mandatory in the calendar of the Moscow “Locomotive”. More four years not passed since our handsome stadium hosted the matches of the most prestigious European club tournament. However, the fall of the red-greens began just after the ill-fated defeat in Cherkizovo from the mediocre “Rapid”.

Well, the debut took place in August 2000, when Lokomotiv played a match in Istanbul against the Turkish Besiktas. And, I must say, the first pancake turned out to be lumpy. Two defeats in the 3rd qualifying round made me forget about group tournament for a year...

In this article, I will not recall the memorable games of the railroad workers in the Champions League. There were so many that the story would have been too long. I hope someday we will get to this topic. In the meantime, I bring to your attention scans of covers of programs from Lokomotiv's matches in the Champions League.

The program was not released in Istanbul. But our press service did not let us down, having prepared a colorful and quite informative booklet.

Between 1997 and 2003 programs for Lokomotiv's home matches were not issued regularly. To fill the gaps in the archives of collectors, KB publications came to the rescue. Therefore, I included them in this peculiar catalog.

The crowded stadium in Ramenskoye welcomed Lokomotiv's first Champions League victory. True, so far only within the framework of the qualifying round. But there will be more.

But this is already a "serious" exhibit. Similar copies from that very scandalous match in Innsbruck in the collections of our football fans can be counted on the fingers of one hand. I have never met this newspaper-program either at auctions or in the exchange funds of the most advanced collectors. We can say that this is a real rarity.

Unlike this one. There were plenty of our fans at the replay, so the amount of “waste paper” brought in was enough for everyone.

The replay of the match "Tirol" - "Lokomotiv" played a cruel joke with the press service of FC "Victoria Zizkov". Not knowing who would be the loser in the confrontation between the Austrian and Russian clubs and go to the consolation tournament - the UEFA Cup, the local journalists had to make the only right decision, in my opinion, to present both our team and the club from Innsbruck as a possible opponent (whether it be okay).

Finally. Lokomotiv's first match in the Champions League group stage. It's a pity that the Dynamo stadium turned out to be the home arena, where, to put it mildly, conditions were created for ordinary spectators that clearly did not correspond to the level of the tournament. Someone will surely remember how much time they had to lose when going to the stands. As for the programs, all home editions are available now.

But the main problem of that draw is the Roma-Lokomotiv program. You can get it, but you have to pay an impressive amount.

The circulation of this program is 4500 copies. For those years - an absolute record.

I remember this match with great pleasure. “Anderlecht” had an impressive territorial advantage, but goals flew into the gates of the hosts with surprising ease. The first victory in the main round, and immediately a big one.

"Lokomotiv" - "Real" - 2:0. And that's it.

The Champions League 2002/2003 was unique for Lokomotiv. During one tournament, the railway workers played 14 (!) matches. Our press service did not let us down either, having prepared programs for all matches. Unlike rivals. There were no pre-match booklets either in Graz, or in Bruges, or in Barcelona, ​​or in Istanbul, or in Madrid, or in Milan. Only Borussia Dortmund took care of observing a tradition that dates back more than a hundred years.

"What pain, what pain, Lokomotiv 2-0 Brugge," our fans sang after the end of the match, which allowed the red-greens to break into the second group stage of the Champions League.

My opinion is that in the first half of the match with Borussia, Loko showed the best game for the entire time of participation in European tournaments. Alas, the match lasts 90 minutes, not 45.

KB publications are distributed not only in Russia, but also in Germany.

The next drawing was also successful for Lokomotiv. In qualifying, having lost first in Donetsk (0:1), the red-greens took revenge at home (3:1).

I remember the excellent support of the crowded stands for that time. Most importantly, the noise accompaniment was not limited South stand. This is to the topic of "kuzmichi", which some especially hotheads do not want to see at the stadium.

And here are examples of "software chaos". In those years, FC "Dynamo" Kyiv did not release official programs. But there were many author's publications. The Lviv view was normally accepted by collectors and "went" for office.

I liked the edition from Nizhyn for its polygraphy.

Match with "Arsenal" caused the biggest stir for all time performances of "Locomotive" in the EC. Tickets for gates at speculators were sold from 500 rubles (adjust for inflation).

There were also plenty of printed materials for the Moscow match between Lokomotiv and Arsenal, but only three types of programs were sold at the stadium. The most outrageous thing is that I have seen editions of this game made in Ukraine and Moldova. What do they have to do with Lokomotiv?

The release of several types of programs is also practiced in the homeland of football. This edition was distributed among journalists and VIP guests. It's nice that all the materials were dubbed in Russian.

Lokomotiv is one win away from the European Cup final

In the first match of the Eurocup play-off semi-final series Loko Krasnodar beat Italian Reggio Emilia at home - 82:65.

Not so long ago, in the “zero” of these “regs” in the Italian league, there were two, and they were constantly confused. But now "Reggio Calabria" is quietly floundering in the second division, while "Emilia" undertook every now and then to make a rustle in the strongest: in 2015 and 2016, she got right up to the final of the playoffs of the national championship, which is a club record.

By the way, Lokomotiv's maximum achievement is exactly the same. True, the Krasnodar club just a couple of years ago played in the Final Four of the Euroleague, and in the current EC it won 18 wins in 18 matches. However, in the playoffs, they came out with Reggio Emilia from the same, first places. The Italians in the group won both endings against UNICS Kazan, gaining a 1/4 home court advantage. Where, largely due to this advantage, they dealt with the St. Petersburg "Zenith" - and reached one more, third in a row and the last Russian team remaining in the tournament.

Here, both the home start of the series and the status of the favorite were, of course, for Loko. In the confrontation with the 11th (with a negative balance of victories and defeats) club of the current championship of Italy, which has long lost its former elite status, it could not be otherwise. Although in the national leagues, you know, stuff happens. The railroad workers also lost overtime in Minsk on Saturday as part of the VTB United League. After the match, their coach Sasha Obradovic said that his players had already played Reggio Emilia mentally,

But today Lokomotiv did not start playing with her right away: 0:5 after two nervous starting minutes. However, even before the end of the starting quarter Krasnodar fully seized the initiative and went ahead by 10 points. Advantage Russian team in the classroom was obvious. True, at first the hosts were annoyed by center Jalen Reynolds, who attracted attention in the quarterfinals. But Loko, unlike Zenit, has tall fifth numbers. As a result, Frank Elegar with Brian Quale and under thirty points in four hands from under the shields sketched, and Reynolds was properly “fed”. In addition, Krasnodar won the rebound by a serious margin - 36:25.

Well, to rein in the Reggio Emilia snipers in the absence of the most productive basketball player of KE-2017/18 Amedeo Della Valle (he remained in Italy due to injury) was already a matter of technique. The advantage of Lokomotiv continued to grow. Two three-pointers from Chris Babb - with a siren for a long break and in the first attack after it - brought the difference in the score to "+18". In the remaining time, the Krasnodar team hit this mark twice more, and although they failed to overcome it, the attempts of the guests to arrange a chase turned out to be fruitless. The railroad coolly kept the opponent at a distance and brought their winning super series to 19-0.

If the 20th victory is won in Italy on Friday, it will take Lokomotiv to the final. If not, then the third, decisive match will take place on March 28 in Krasnodar. On the same days, in another series, Dariusafaka will play with Bayern, the starting meeting between which is now taking place in Istanbul (the result of the first half is quite unexpected - 47:30 in favor of the Germans). The rules of the final are exactly the same: up to two victories, according to the “1-1-1” scheme. And if Loko participates in it, it is our club that will have the advantage of its site. Regardless of the opponent. And the winner of the European Cup, let me remind you, gets a ticket to the Euroleague for the next season.

European Cup
1/2 finals
The first match

Lokomotiv (Russia) - Reggio Emilia (Italy) - 82:65 (19:15, 24:13, 20:23, 19:14)

"Locomotive": Quale (16), Elegar (11+9 rebounds), Babb (11), M. Collins (10+6 assists)

"Reggio Emilia": K. Wright (14), J. Reynolds (13 + 9 rebounds + 4 blocks), Nevels (10)

Series score: 1-0

source: "Soviet Sport"

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This season, Lokomotiv Moscow is fighting for the title of Russian champion for the first time in many years. I don’t know if the railway workers will become champions, but they will definitely perform in the Champions League, and therefore I remember their best matches in European competition.

The best matches of Moscow Lokomotiv in European club tournaments

10th place: Bayern 0-1 Lokomotiv

• Date: September 12, 1995.
• Match status: first leg of the 1/32 finals of the UEFA Cup.

Then Lokomotiv was very unlucky with the draw - already in the first match our club got the formidable Bayern. Nevertheless, Loko, contrary to all forecasts, managed to win in Munich thanks to Evgeny Kharlachev's goal.

This match could have been ranked much higher if it were not for the result of the return match - in Moscow, Bayern cut the daring upstart to smithereens - 5:0. In the end, Munich won the UEFA Cup, and the defeat from the Russians was the only one for them in the entire tournament.

9th place: Lokomotiv 2-0 Real Madrid

• Date: October 30, 2001.
• Match status: first group stage of the Champions League.

Another high-status opponent, and the low place in the rating is due to the fact that Real Madrid, having already solved the tournament problems, brought to Moscow for the match last round semi-reserve composition.

But Russian clubs in official games not so often they beat the “royal” club to neglect this match. In addition, after this victory, Loko took third place and got the right to play in the UEFA Cup in the spring.

8th place: Anderlecht - Lokomotiv 1:5

• Date: October 24, 2001.

And a week earlier, the railway workers won their first victory in the group stage of the Champions League. They had one point in their assets, Anderlecht had 2, and both teams could no longer count on more than third place.

Lokomotiv conceded in the 2nd minute, but already in the first half they equalized and took the lead, and in the second they brought the matter to a rout.

7th place: Lokomotiv 3-1 Tyrol

• Date: August 7, 2001.
• Match status: 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League.

This victory gave Lokomotiv the opportunity to qualify for the main Champions League tournament for the first time. The match turned out to be difficult - the Austrians responded quickly to Jacob Lekheto's quick goal, and even the second goal, scored by , did not give Loko a comfortable advantage. Only in the 79th minute, after an accurate strike, the score became more acceptable.

Then there was a victory in Innsbruck, the cancellation of the result of this match, the hassle of a replay that ended in a 1-0 victory for Tyrol, but everything ended well for Lokomotiv.

6th place: Galatasaray - Lokomotiv 1:2

• Date: October 29, 2002.
• Match status: Champions League first group stage.

In the 2002-2003 season, Lokomotiv for the first time overcame the first group stage of the Champions League, although the start of the tournament was terrible - just one point in four matches.

The first victory was obtained in Istanbul thanks to the goals of Dmitry Loskov and Vadim Evseev.

5th place: Lokomotiv 2-0 Brugge

• Date: November 13, 2002.
• Match status: Champions League first group stage.

In the next match, the railway workers, in addition to winning, needed a mandatory loss of points by Galatasaray in a meeting with Barcelona.

Both conditions were met, and Lokomotiv moved on to the next stage of the tournament. The goals were then scored by the Brazilian Julio Cesar and Dmitry Loskov.

4th place: Nice 2-3 Lokomotiv

• Date: February 15, 2018.
• Match status: first match of the 1/16 finals of the Europa League.

A very recent match in which Lokomotiv won a strong-willed victory, practically prejudging the outcome of a two-match confrontation.

By the end of half an hour of the game, the railroad workers got two goals from Mario Balotelli into their own net, which were answered with three accurate shots by Manuel Fernandes.

3rd place: Lokomotiv 3-0 Maccabi Haifa

• Date: March 4, 1999.
• Match status: First Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final match.

The defeat of the Israeli club brought Lokomotiv a ticket to the semi-finals of the then second most important European trophy.

All three goals were scored by the Georgian legionary of Muscovites Zaza Janashia, and the hat-trick turned out to be a classic one - the forward scored all the goals in the second half.

2nd place: Lokomotiv - AEK 2:1

• Date: March 19, 1998.
• Tournament stage: Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final second leg.

A year earlier, Loko had already played in the semi-finals of this tournament, but that victory was much more dramatic. The match in Athens ended in a goalless draw, at home the railway workers took the lead after a goal by Evgeny Kharlachev in the 54th minute, but the Greeks soon equalized the score.

The draw, which suited the guests, lasted until the second added minute, when Igor Chugainov nevertheless scored a goal, snatching a ticket to the semifinals for his team. This was fair, since earlier the referee did not count two clean goals of the railroad workers.

1st place: Lokomotiv 3-0 Inter

• Date: October 21, 2003.
• Tournament stage: Champions League group stage.

The coolest victory of the Moscow club. In the third round, Loko, which had one point, took the lead with 100% Inter, and had no right to misfire.

As part of the Milan club, Javier Sanetti, Marco Materazzi, Christian Vieri, Alvaro Recoba and other stars arrived in Moscow.

But Loko won without question, and this victory turned out to be decisive in the distribution of places in the group - Lokomotiv was ahead of Inter in additional indicators.

I hope that in the autumn the railway workers will give me the opportunity to correct this rating.

Following the review of the Cup Winners' Cup, I would like to bring to your attention the performance of our club in the most prestigious European tournament - UEFA Champions League.

2000/01

The second place in the championship of Russia allowed to play in the Champions League from the 3rd qualifying round. Vice-champion of Turkey "Besiktas" left no stone unturned from the Russian vice-champion: 3:0 in Istanbul and 1:3 in Moscow. Lokomotiv continued to play in the UEFA Cup.

Besiktas (Istanbul, Turkey) – Lokomotiv

August 8, 2000 Istanbul. Stadium "Imenu".
Match score: 3-0
The football god severely punished Loko for missing scoring chances. The moral of this, at first glance, a strange and illogical match, in which the defeated team was head and shoulders stronger than the winner for the first half, is extremely simple: if you create chances, convert them. If you didn't, blame yourself. We can also recall Nizhegorodov's two fatal mistakes, Bulykin's shot from a deadly distance into the sky, and the magnificence of the Nigerian goalkeeper Shorunmu, who pulled out three or four dead balls.

Lokomotiv - Besiktas (Istanbul, Turkey)
Champions League. qualifying round.
August 23, 2000 Moscow. Stadium "Luzhniki".
Match score: 1-3
The result of the fan confrontation was predictable. The "Turkish" tribune, which gathered much more than three thousand people, during the warm-up effortlessly shouted down the Loko fans. As soon as the first player of the "Black Eagles" left the tunnel, it sounded in the huge bowl of the stadium: "Be-shik-tash"!
The beginning of the match was preceded by a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the catastrophe of the nuclear submarine "Kursk". And the Lokomotiv players went to the game with mourning bandages.
"Besiktas" Nevio Skala naturally outplayed "Loko" in Moscow. If Semin's wards realized good moments in the first half, there would be some semblance of intrigue. Instead, there was a ridiculous mistake in the defense of the red-greens, dotting all the i's.

2001/02

The third qualifying round of the Champions League, the opponent is the Austrian "Tirol". Scandalous famous story with a replay of the full return match due to a miscalculation of the arbitrator. But the football god gave everyone justice. As a result, the railway workers did not go to visit Zizkov, but for the first time in history made it to the group stage of the Champions League. Real Madrid, Roma and Anderlecht were selected in the group draw. After the 4th round, Lokomotiv, with one point scored, lost the chances of reaching the playoffs of the Champions League, but competed with Anderlecht for access to the UEFA Cup. The Brussels match did not start according to our scenario: in the 2nd minute, Anderlecht took the lead. But “Loco” was not embarrassed, and not just won, but defeated the Belgian club in its own lair. 5:1 in favor of the Russian team, which goes to 1/16 of the UEFA Cup.

Lokomotiv – Tyrol (Innsbruck, Austria)

August 7, 2001 Ramenskoe. Stadium "Saturn".
Match score: 3-1
In his first European Cup match Izmailov, the rising star of Loko, showed a great game. In the opening, he squeezed the maximum out of a harmless situation. Having received the ball not far from the end line and turning on the fourth speed, Marat skillfully beat the defender, assessed the situation in a split second and sent the ball to the hot spot of the penalty area. Yes, so much so that the ball, ricocheting from two players, hit the legs as if grown out of the ground Lekheto. The defender of the South African team fired like a cannon. It was the first goal of an African legionnaire in the Russian club. And scored the decisive goal accurate blow from an average distance, the same Izmailov.

Champions League. 3rd qualifying round.
August 22, 2001 Innsbruck. Tivoli Stadium.
Match score: 0-1
Imagine the feelings of people who have experienced the intoxicating joy of a hard victory - and suddenly they find out that this victory did not exist at all, and they have to prove everything anew on a foreign field. It was this unprecedented incident that happened to Lokomotiv in the capital of two winter olympics. The ill-fated episode, because of which all the fuss flared up, happened in the 75th minute of the meeting. Forward Pimenov, striking the ball, hit the leg of Tyrol defender Ibertsberger, who played ahead of the game. Referee van der Ende suddenly showed our player yellow card, which became his second in the match, but did not remove him from the field. For eyewitnesses at that moment it was not clear to whom exactly the warning was given - either to Pimenov, or to Maminov, who tried to find out something from the referee. As it turned out later, midfielder Maminov appeared as a warned person in the referee's notebook.
Pimenov spent three more minutes on the field, and then was replaced by Drozdov. However, Tyrol's management filed a protest demanding a replay, which was unexpectedly granted by the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Committee. And Pimenov, because of whose non-removal the whole scandal unfolded, was disqualified and could not take part in the replay - more than a strange decision!
Semin did not hide his indignation:
- We consider this verdict a spit in the direction of everything Russian football. If the Champions League wants to do without Russia, let them announce it in advance. And take away from us what we have won in fair wrestling victory indiscriminately. What are we being punished for, what letter of the football laws did Lokomotiv violate in the match against Tyrol?
The replay did take place.

"Tirol" (Innsbruck, Austria) - "Lokomotiv"
Champions League. 3rd qualifying round. Replay.
September 8, 2001 Innsbruck. Tivoli Stadium.
Match score: 1-0
Still, there is a God! - these were the first words of the Minister of Railways Nikolai Aksenenko, who came to the locker room after the match to congratulate the team on a well-deserved entry into the Champions League. - Yes, today he was with us, - Semin said smiling. Football God really gave everyone justice. But why didn't he do it sooner? Why didn't he whisper to the Dutch referee Mario van der Ende that he confused Pimenov with Maminov? Why did he give Tyrol a chance to cling to the saving straw? Why did he allow UEFA officials to make an absurd decision that made the Austrian champion and Russian vice-champion go down in history as the first clubs to have to replay a match due to a refereeing error? The duel in Innsbruck became a benefit of Nigmatullin, who saved Loko a dozen times (!) in seemingly hopeless situations. At the same time, the match turned into a drama of the main supplier of work for the Russian goalkeeper. Radoslav Gilevich vowed that he would not leave the field without a goal. But no matter how hard the Polish scorer tried, he failed to keep his oath. However, Gilevich has nothing to reproach himself with: at least four times he was already preparing to rush to the corner flag to share the joy of a goal with the fans, but instead he clutched his head - Nigmatullin stood to death. It still remains a mystery how, in the 59th minute, our goalkeeper managed to fend off two killer shots in a row from the Tyrolean nine. And Brzeczak's goal could not have been prevented by any goalkeeper in the world. After the first match in Innsbruck, Austrian journalists called Nigmatullin the main culprit behind Tyrol's defeat. Now, in front of the whole of Europe, the Loko goalkeeper knocked their team out of the Champions League for the second time. It was on this day that Nigmatullin's rating on the transfer market reached the very mark when players begin to pack their bags.
“I immediately thought that we had regained what we had honestly won and restored justice,” said the main character after the match.
- I think we have done a great job for the whole country. And what could be more important than this? We found a way out of the labyrinth into which they tried to drive us. The unfair decision of UEFA at that moment united Russia. Fans all over the country passionately wished Lokomotiv success, and many, rejoicing at the railwaymen's entry into the next stage, stuck with Loko forever.

VIP ticket

TICKET FROM A FAIL MATCH
September 11, 2001 Prague. Stadium "Evzhen Roshytsky".
"Victoria" (Zhizhkov, Czech Republic) - "Tirol" Innsbruck / "Locomotive" Moscow
The infamous story of the replay of the full return match due to a miscalculation of the referee.
After the return match Tyrol - Lokomotiv, the Austrians filed a protest with the UEFA FTC. The fact is that in the 72nd minute the referee showed a yellow card to Pimenov, which turned out to be the second for the attacker, but he entered Maminov's name in the notebook and did not remove anyone.
At first, the situation did not seem so serious. Draws were made for the next rounds of European competitions, Lokomotiv clearly participated in the draw for the group stage of the Champions League (i.e., there were no reservations, it was not the winner of the pair, but the Russian club was indicated), which fell to Real Madrid, Roma and Anderlecht, while Tyrol took part in the UEFA Cup draw and won Viktoria Zizkov.
However, after 5 days a fax from UEFA came to Lokomotiv's office. His 9 points were devoted to a technical error of the referee, the fact that Lokomotiv had to finish the match in the minority, and this is what prevented the Austrians from scoring 3 goals. The result of the match on August 22 (i.e., the return match) is canceled and a replay is scheduled. An appeal from the club was sent to UEFA, as well as a letter from the head of the RFU Koloskov. True, the latter immediately warned that he did not count on a positive decision.
As a result, there was a replay, full match, and not 19 minutes from a score of 0:1, and Pimenov's disqualification following the results of the canceled match was upheld.
The replay became Nigmatullin's benefit performance, his exemplary match. He still conceded one goal, but the Tyroleans did not like the score 1:0.
As a result, the railway workers did not go to visit Zizkov, but for the first time in history they made it to the group stage of the Champions League.

Lokomotiv - Anderlecht (Brussels, Belgium)

1st round. September 11, 2001. Moscow. Stadium "Dynamo".
Match score: 1-1
On September 11, 2001 (this day in world history is forever inscribed in black letters due to a series of terrorist attacks carried out in the United States), Lokomotiv Moscow made its debut in the UEFA Champions League.
The players of the two teams from the first minutes began to justify the expectations of 20,000 fans who gathered on that cold day. Loko's debut in the Champions League turned out to be not very successful: in the 14th minute of the match, Gilles de Bilde found Mark Hendrix's head with a pass from the right flank and the Belgian shot our Ruslan Nigmatullin point-blank. However, three minutes later, Vladimir Maminov became the author of the first “red-green” goal in the history of the Champions League, when the hosts midfielder with a clear shot from outside the penalty area broke through the gates of De Vilde.
The absence of the suspended Loskov and the injured Obiora on the field affected the attacking power of Lokomotiv, but Izmailov, Buznikin and Pimenov tried to put pressure on the Belgian gates. The lack of experience eventually affected the final stages of the attacks of the hosts, who ended in a draw in their first match in the Champions League.

"Real" (Madrid, Spain) - "Lokomotiv"
Champions League. 1st group round. Group A
2nd round. September 19, 2001 Madrid. "Santiago Bernabeu".
Match score: 4-0
Lokomotiv lost the best club world, which Semin emphasized after the match. At the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, the Royal Club surpassed us both in individual skill and in team discipline. “It was the only match in two years in which the opponent outplayed us,” Semin emphasized later.

Roma (Rome, Italy) – Lokomotiv
Champions League. 1st group round. Group A
3rd round. September 26, 2001 Rome. Olympic Stadium.
Match score: 2-1
The railway workers amazed the Roman public with an abundance of beautiful combinations and excellent ball control. But after Chugainov's own goal, the team got nervous and got the second ball in the counterattack. In Rome, Nigmatullin worked miracles again. One can only guess how the Loko goalkeeper managed to repel the dangerous shots of Delvecchio, Zebina and Tommasi. In both missed balls, it was not his fault, although he himself reacted to these episodes in the highest degree of self-criticism.

Anderlecht (Brussels, Belgium) – Lokomotiv
Champions League. 1st group round. Group A
5th round. October 24, 2001 Brussels. Constant Vanden Stock Stadium.
Match score: 1-5
In this tournament, Lokomotiv achieved the biggest victory away, the biggest strong-willed victory, scored the most more away goals, scored five goals faster than anyone else - and set even one achievement of all time: none of the 84 clubs in the 9-year history of the Champions League won their first group stage victory with such a large score. And midfielder Izmailov, who equalized the score, became the youngest player to score in the 2001/02 Champions League. On the day of the match, he turned 19 years and 33 days old. At first, Anderlecht's pressure was strong. But gradually the red-greens managed to lower the ball onto the lawn, depriving the owners of their main trump card - heading. After Sennikov's goal, the game has already gone to one goal. The best on the field was Buznikin, who successfully came on as a substitute. By that time, Anderlecht had gaps in defense, which the nimble striker did not fail to take advantage of. Semin liked all the players except Obiora.

Lokomotiv - Real Madrid (Madrid, Spain)
Champions League. 1st group round. Group A
6th round. October 30, 2001 Moscow. Stadium "Dynamo".
Match score: 2-0
"Real" flew to Moscow without a few stars, but this does not detract from the merits of "Locomotive" - ​​a high morale and strong-willed spirit distinguished each player of the team. The home team selflessly fought for every ball, clearly insured, came to the aid of each other in defense. And what is especially nice, the defense of Lokomotiv, not without the help of goalkeeper Nigmatullina, won the whole fight in the air in his penalty area. In the 30th minute Pavon knocked down Pimenov near the left corner of his penalty area, and with Loskov's excellent serve Buznikin opened the scoring with his first shot on target - a strong grassroots shot right in the corner. After the break, the same Pimenov sent Obradovic through the right flank. The Serb earned a corner, after which Izmailov shot a strong shot into the center of the goalkeeper's area, and defender Cherevchenko, who joined the attack, sent the ball into the net!

To be continued..

Other European Cup tickets can be viewed at

Next season, Russia in European competition will be represented by Spartak, CSKA, Zenit, Krasnodar and Lokomotiv. About who can be rivals of our clubs in the international arena - in our material.

Spartak – Champions League group stage

The Red-Whites have returned to the main European Cup after four years, and thanks to the victory in the Premier League, their starting positions seem very attractive. The capital club, as befits the champion of Russia, got into the first basket, which means that it will avoid meeting with at least Real Madrid, Bayern, Chelsea, Juventus, Monaco, Benfica and Shakhtar , although with the latter, for obvious reasons, he would have been bred anyway. Perhaps this is so far the only one hundred percent prediction that can be made regarding the future of Spartak in the group stage of the Champions League. The opponents of the Russian champion will be announced at the draw ceremony in Monaco on 24 August.

In addition to him, 21 teams have already entered the group stage: Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Atlético (all Spain), Bayern, Leipzig, Borussia D (all Germany), Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Manchester United (all England), Juventus, Roma (both Italy), Monaco, PSG (both France), Benfica, Porto (both Portugal), Shakhtar (Ukraine), Anderlecht (Belgium), Feyenoord (Netherlands), Besiktas (Turkey), Basel (Switzerland).

CSKA - 3rd qualifying round of the Champions League

Unlike fellow countrymen, the army team will have to take two steps before the group stage, or rather four, given the number of matches they will have to play. Recall that the qualification of the main European Cup is divided into two branches - the path of the champions and the path of the representatives of the leagues. CSKA will be in second place, which also included Dynamo (Ukraine), Ajax (Netherlands), Victoria Plzen (Czech Republic), Brugge (Belgium), Steaua (Romania), Young Boys (Switzerland) ), "Istanbul" (Turkey) and "Nice" (France). A little later, the second team of the Greek Superleague will join them. Now AEK, PAOK and Panathinaikos claim victory in the mini-tournament for the second ticket to the Champions League from Greece.

All ten participants in the third qualifying round will be split into five pairs according to their odds. On account of the army team 39.606 points, which allows them to be guaranteed to get into the number of "seeded" teams. Accordingly, Steaua (35.370), Young Boys (28.915), Nice (16.833), Istanbul (10.340) or a representative of Greece can fall into his rivals. The Romanians or the Swiss certainly look like a more favorable lot than the French or the Turks, but in general CSKA should be up to the task, whoever comes across it. The draw for this stage will take place on 14 July.

The main test will await Muscovites at the next stage, where representatives of the European top championships will enter the game. It is already known that Sevilla (Spain, 112.942), Liverpool (England, 56.135), Napoli (Italy, 88.666), Sporting (Portugal, 36.866) and Hoffenheim ( Germany, 15,899). The first three will definitely be among the “seeded”, so if at least two teams from the trio pass from the third round to the playoff round - Dynamo Kiev (67.526), ​​Victoria Plzen (40.635), Ajax ( 67.212), then the army men will no longer be "seeded". At the same time, representatives of the Czech Republic and the Netherlands will become potential rivals for CSKA. With a high degree of probability, at this stage, our team will get a very serious opponent. Who exactly it will be, we will find out on August 4, the first playoff matches are scheduled for August 15 and 16, and the second - for the 22 and 23.

Zenit and Krasnodar - 3rd qualifying round of the Europa League

Both Russian club will begin their performance in the second most important European Cup two stages before the group stage, and in qualifying they will have approximately the same fate. In the third round, the rules are exactly the same as in the Champions League, but there are almost six times more participants - 58. The distribution into "seeded" and "unseeded" is also carried out in accordance with club rating. Both Zenit (87.106 points) and Krasnodar (32.106) are guaranteed to be in the first group, so frankly weak opponents will face them.

It is too early to guess who exactly it will be, since the greater number of participants will be those who will go through the previous stages. But to roughly represent the level of resistance, you can name the Norwegian "Branne", the Swedish "Oestersund" or the Polish "Arka". Our teams will recognize their opponents on July 14, on the 27th they will play the first matches with them, and on August 3 - return matches.

But at the playoff stage it will be much more difficult, since those teams that will fly out of the third qualifying round of the Champions League, from where CSKA begins its European Cup season, will also get there. In the event of a defeat to Zenit and Krasnodar, the army team will not get caught, but among the above-mentioned colleagues of Muscovites there are many serious clubs. Another thing is that the odds of both our teams and here will allow them to be among the “seeded”, so that their opponents should come across quite passable. In any case, there will definitely not be clubs that can be classified as giants. The play-off draw will take place on August 4, and the matches will be played on the 17th and 24th, respectively.

Lokomotiv – Europa League group stage

As the winners of the Russian Cup, railway workers will bypass the qualifying rounds and immediately enter the autumn stage. Over the past five years, Lokomotiv has not spoiled fans with success in the international arena, so its rating is not so high - 97th place with 20,606 points in the asset. With a high degree of probability, this will allow Muscovites to rely only on the third basket. There is a chance to get into the second, but for this it is necessary that several clubs with a higher rating drop out of the tournament in qualification at once. Rivals by group stage Lokomotiv will find out in Monaco on August 24.

In addition to him, Villarreal, Real Sociedad (both Spain), Cologne, Hertha (both Germany), Arsenal (England), Atalanta, Lazio will definitely play in the Europa League in the autumn (both Italy), Vitoria G (Portugal), Lyon (France), Zulte Waregem (Belgium), Vitesse (Netherlands) and Fastav (Czech Republic).