Spartak Moscow endured a tense draw as coach Guillermo Abascal voiced criticism of the officiating after a Russian Premier League clash against Akhmat Grozny, a report from Sports Express confirmed. The issue on the table was not only the result but how the match was managed for the full 90 minutes, with Abascal pointing to what he saw as excessive stoppages and a late booking that felt incongruent with the flow of play.
Abascal observed that Spartak started against the clock from the opening whistle. The opposition pressed relentlessly, and the visiting goalkeeper was put under continuous pressure for the entire match. The concern for the Spartak camp centered on a yellow card shown only at the end of regulation time, a decision they felt did not reflect the pace and intensity of the contest. The coach asserted that the timing of the card undermined the sense of urgency and made the game appear more one-sided in favor of the defender’s discipline rather than the attacking tempo that the Red and Whites had sought to impose.
The game concluded without goals, a result that left Spartak Moscow in a strong position in the league standings but not without questions about how it was achieved. In the current Russian Premier League table, Spartak sits in third place with 41 points. Akhmat Grozny occupy sixth position with 33 points, a reminder of how closely the table is aligned and how competitive the campaign remains for several clubs in the upper half of the table. The draw added another layer to the season, underscoring the tight margins and the ongoing balance of power in Russian football as teams jockey for European qualification spots and domestic prestige.
Looking ahead, Spartak are preparing for a major test in the capital as they are scheduled to face Dynamo Moscow in the upcoming round. The fixture is earmarked for April 8 with a 19.30 Moscow time kickoff. It promises to be a high-stakes duel between two storied clubs, each determined to leave the field with three points and with momentum building as the season progresses. The match schedule also includes Grozny facing off against Yekaterinburg Ural in the same batch of fixtures, with a 16.30 Moscow time start. Those encounters will help clarify how the league table could shift in the weeks to come and how teams are approaching the business end of the season with both pressure and opportunity in equal measure.