CSKA Moscow of Russia winger, Chidera Ejuke was back into the brigth spotlight on Monday, as he played a crucial role in helping the army-owned outfit to victory over FC Nizhny Novgorod, megasportsarena.com reports.
Ejuke got into the highlights with a well placed assist that romped The Red Blues’ to a crucial away triumph over Aleksandr Kerzhakov’s men, much to the delight of fans of The Armymen.
However, while the Super Eagles’ fringe player contributed an assist, it was the duo of Ilzat Akhmetov and Baktiyor Zaynutdinov that powered CSKA to a 2-0 win in the Russian Premier League fixture.
A match report by goal.com added: Both teams started the encounter on the back of victories last time out, as The Red Blues sank Zenit Izhevsk 4-0 in the Russian Cup, while Aleksandr Kerzhakov’s side saw off Dinamo Barnaul.
The visitors – who played without Cote d’Ivoire’s Cedric Gogoua – had the first opportunity to score, but Mario Fernandes’ shot was blocked by an opposing defender.
Another chance beckoned for CSKA Moscow in the 15th minute, nonetheless, goalkeeper Artur Nigmatullin was well-positioned to save a one-on-one situation from Fedor Chalov.
After dominating ball possession for so long, Aleksei Berezutski’s team took the lead in the 31st minute as Zaynutdinov converted a pass from Nigeria international Ejuke.
Referee Kirill Levnikov had disallowed the goal thinking there was a handball in the build-up, however, VAR replays confirmed that the opener was legitimate.
Although the hosts fought back for the remainder of the first half, they were unable to restore parity as they went into the half-time break with a one-goal deficit.
They put up a better display in the second half, but it was the Red Blues who doubled their advantage three minutes after the hour mark courtesy of Akhmetov.
With a CSKA Moscow forward brought down in the box, the Russia international stepped up to take the penalty kick and sent Nigmatullin in the wrong direction.
Despite several attacking forays by the home team, they were unable to launch a comeback, thus, lost their fourth match of the 2021-22 Russian top-flight campaign.
