MOSCOW REGION / Khimki/ — The head coach of Moscow’s FC Rodina, Spaniard Juan Diaz, says he cannot fully describe his feelings after leading the club to promotion to the Russian Premier League (RPL). He shared his emotions with reporters.
Rodina secured historic promotion to the top flight for the first time in club history, clinching an early berth with a 2-0 victory over Chelyabinsk in the 33rd round of the First League (Paris League).
“We have reached the Premier League — I won’t talk much about the football itself. How will we celebrate? We’ll figure something out. Obviously no alcohol, maybe one beer, but today is a day to enjoy,” said Diaz. “It’s very difficult to describe what I’m feeling — so many emotions. Being far from my family, it’s hard to put into words what’s going on inside. All I want is to hug my family — my wife, children, uncle, aunt. They’ve suffered and deserved this victory. I’m happy. Let’s see what the RPL level brings.”
Rodina was founded in 2015. The match at Arena Khimki ended with a scoreline of 2:0 (first half 1:0) in front of 3,345 spectators. Goals were scored by Ivan Timoshenko (25′) and Artur Garibyan (87′). The team started the game with goalkeeper Sergei Volkov and a lineup including Artyom Meshchaninov, Artyom Sokol, Andrei Yegorychev, Ruslan Fishchenko, Ilya Dyatlov, Mitya Krizhan, Artyom Maksimenko, Stanislav Bessmertny, Jordi Reina, and Kirill Ushatov. Substitutes included Magomedkhabib Abdusalamov, Soltmurad Bakaev, Ivan Timoshenko, and Artur Garibyan.
Chelyabinsk fielded Ilya Tuseev in goal, with defenders Alexei Berdnikov, Khetag Kochiev, Yan Gudkov, Ruslan Baitukov, and midfielders Ramazan Gadzhimuradov, Konstantin Kertanov, Timofey Komissarov, Denis Samoilov, Baba N’Diaye, and Alexander Zhirov, later replaced by Garrik Levin and Georgy Gongadze.
The match featured four yellow cards for Chelyabinsk and two for Rodina, with one red card for each side. The referee was Mikhail Plisko from Saint Petersburg.