Dynamo vs. Lokomotiv | Semi-Final | HIGHLIGHTS | Russian Cup 2026

During the opening set, the hosts had a breakaway advantage several times, but their mistakes allowed the opponent to regain the balance. Later, after winning several long rallies, Lokomotiv received an emotional boost, which allowed them to complete the game with a victory of 25:22.

Maxim Sapozhkov's three aces at the beginning of the second set forced Lokomotiv's head coach, Plamen Konstantinov, to take the first timeout (6:3). The railway workers quickly made up for their deficit, but then got stuck on the blocks of Ilya Vlasov. The Dinamo players scored passing balls, saved themselves in defense (even using their football skills), and converted set points. With a score of 12:7, Konstantinov called for a second timeout. The hosts' lead grew even larger with Pavel Pankov's "captain" serve. Anton Semyshev, the setter, first outmatched his opponent on the net and then scored a passing ball (15:8).

After the opponent's removal from Pankov's serves, the Dinamo players were stuck on the diagonal of Lokomotiv's Ilya Kazachenkov, struggling against the block and firing out of bounds (15:13). After the timeout by the head coach Konstantin Bryansky, the Muscovites regained their game, with Sapozhkov's powerful attack breaking the opponent's serve, followed by Pankov's two blocks on breakaway balls. The game ended in a near-disaster. Denis Bogdan, the outside hitter, hit an ace, and Pankov and Vlasov added a block each. The set ended with a mistake by the visiting outside hitter, Sam Dero, who missed a serve, resulting in a 25-18 and 1-1 score.

In the middle of the third set, Pankov took the floor again. A drop from the fourth zone, an ace to Deru, and a powerful serve gave the hosts a lead of 14:10. Semyshev then hit an ace on the returner Omar Kurbanov, giving Dynamo a five-point lead at 17:12. But Lokomotiv also had its own hero: the setter Simeon Nikolov delivered a powerful series of serves with two aces, the Novosibirsk block worked, and now the guests are ahead — 19:17. Several mistakes by the blue-and-white team allowed the guests to reach four set points. Dinamo recovered two of them, but the game still ended in favor of Lokomotiv — 25:22.

At the beginning of the fourth set, the Dinamo players ran into the opponent's block several times, allowing the visitors to gain a few break points. However, this did not discourage the Dinamo players. Thanks to their excellent blocking and defensive skills, the Dinamo players were able to create opportunities in the set-pieces, which they successfully exploited. The Dinamo players regained the balance and then took the lead. The Zheleznodorozhnik players continued to press on the serve, and they were only one break point behind. Nevertheless, Sapozhkov's crushing attack brought the game to a close at 25:23.

In the tie-break, both teams had little trouble setting for a long time. At 10-9, Sapozhkov's single-block set "covered" Der's attack, and then Bryansky's "joker" came into play. Konstantin Tyushkevich, the setter who stepped up to strengthen the serve, made it difficult for the opponent to receive, and then saved an incredible ball in defense. The point was sealed by Vlasov's block on the opponent's diagonal player, Ilya Kazachenkov (12-9).

The tension in the match lasted until the very end, and everything was decided by Sapozhkov's serves. First, after playing defense, the Dinamo players reached match points after Bogdan's attack, and Vlasov's block on Deru marked the end of the match. With a score of 15:11 and 3:2, the Dinamo players will compete in the Russian Cup against Zenit St. Petersburg on Sunday.

VFV - volley.ru