Rubin and Akhmat shared the points in their Russian Premier League Matchday 7 encounter, which ended 1–1.

 

Striker Jacques Siwe opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 26th minute. Referee Evgeny Bulanov awarded the spot kick after a VAR intervention and an on-field review, having seen that the ball struck Akhmat defender Kalidou Sidibé on the arm.

 

Akhmat midfielder Egas Cacintura equalised in the 56th minute.

 

Akhmat head coach Stanislav Cherchesov took questions from reporters at the post-match press conference:

 

— We played twice in Kazan last season—once in the Russian Cup and once in the league. My 200th match as a coach was also against Rubin, a 0–0 draw in Grozny, while my 500th has now ended 1–1 here in Kazan. Hopefully, my 600th will bring a win over Rubin. I liked the way we played. The first half was evenly contested, but in the second we created several clear-cut chances that we should have made more of. I am pleased with the quality of football the team are producing. We came here looking for all three points, but unfortunately, we could not take them. Nevertheless, I thanked the players for a good performance. We responded well after falling behind and had a clear understanding of what we needed to do. We are also looking forward to having our injured players back, as their return will give us more options. That said, everyone who played today gave their all. 

 

— Why were you unable to win?

 

— We were up against a team who play with great intensity at home, and we did not take our chances. However, I am pleased with the way the team responded to going behind and fought back to equalise.

 

— Have you noticed any changes in Rubin’s style of play since Franc Artiga replaced Rashid Rakhimov as head coach and Mirlind Daku left the club?

 

— There are always subtle differences. Grigori Grzhipshi would also have added something to Rubin’s game. Every team relies to some extent on one or two key players—just as Spartak rely on players such as Esequiel Barco and Ruslan Litvinov. Rubin’s basic system remains the same, although it has become more flexible and hybrid in nature. We did not see anything out of the ordinary today. Artiga did a good job at Khimki and is continuing that work here in Kazan. I like him as a coach.

 

Rubin vs Akhmat 1–1 (1–0)

 

7 September 2026, 19:30

Kazan, Ak Bars Arena. Attendance: 9,653

Weather: +13°C, cloudy

 

Officials: Evgeny Bulanov (Saransk), Obrazko (Stavropol), Mosyakin (Moscow)

VAR: Fedorov (Petrozavodsk), Safyan (Moscow)

 

Rubin: Staver, Teslenko, Urozov, Lobov, Hoxha, Jukic, Rozhkov (Ignatyev, 70), Arroyo, Bezrukov (Iwu, 57), Samoshnikov (Jocic, 57), Siwe (Motorin, 88).

Head coach: Franc Artiga

 

Akhmat: Ulyanov, Tshake, Sidibe, Bogosavac, Adamov, Ismael (Keliano, 86), Romao, Cacintura, Sadulaev (Samorodov, 81), Pryakhin (Shchetinin, 46), Konaté (Maksuti, 81).

Head coach: Stanislav Cherchesov

 

Goals: Siwe, 26 (pen.) — 1–0; Cacintura, 56 — 1–1.

 

Bookings: Tshake, 52; Romao, 63; Melkadze, 72 — Vityugov, 29; Pechenin, 87; Makarov, 90.