He returned to the ice with Spartak and Russian forward Ilya Kovalchuk admitted he anticipated a tougher performance after rejoining the red-whites. His candid remarks highlighted the mood surrounding the game, as reported by Match TV.
In his own words, the veteran explained that players are not machines and make mistakes. What matters is the backing from teammates and fans. He acknowledged having not played recently, yet he was surprised by how well things went. The support from the crowd, he added, made Spartak feel like a true people’s team today.
The match unfolded at Luzhniki Arena in Moscow, ending in a 5-2 victory for Spartak. Kovalchuk himself found the back of the net, contributing to the win alongside a quartet of scorers: Michal Czajkowski, Nikolay Goldobin, Andrey Loktionov, and Egor Filin produced goals for Spartak. On the visiting side, Jack Rodewald and Jiang Fu managed to score for their team.
Forty-year-old Kovalchuk lined up in the team’s second line, skating alongside Maxim Tsyplakov and Andrei Loktionov. An earlier moment in the second period saw him misplace the puck while the team was short-handed, but he redeemed the moment by finding the net on the ensuing play. As the game drew to a close, Kovalchuk sent another puck into the empty net, sealing a personal scoring touch on his return.
Earlier signals about loyalty and connection between Spartak and its supporters set the tone for the evening. The atmosphere suggested that fans believed in the squad’s resilience and in Kovalchuk’s ability to contribute meaningfully as the season progresses.