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Parma Chilly to the Match with CSKA
For the first time, Russia’s club may advance to the UEFA final. To this effect, CSKA will have to beat Italian Parma in the soccer match at Lokomotive Stadium. The effective draw will secure a berth for Italy.
No Russian club has beaten Italy in knockout matches over more than 12 years. The last victory was posted by Gazzaev’s Dinamo in 1992, which defeated Torino 2:1 in Turin and played draw (0:0) in Moscow at the starting rounds of UEFA. Lokomotive played 1:1 against Inter in Milan and won 3:0 in Moscow in 2003. But those were the group matches played not for the knockout but for score.
Now Valery Gazaev may beat the Italians for the second time in a much more valued match. In its strength of 2005, Parma is the team fighting to remain in the Series A. In the last match of the CSKA’s competitor Parma defeated Livorno with the score more common to the tennis matches – 6:4.
Parma is chilly to its match with CSKA, ranking the Russian club similar to Stuttgart, Sevilla and Austria, where Parma has not put forward the best players as well.
The first semi-final soccer match between Parma and CSKA at Ennio Tardini was disgusting. Zero score corresponded to zero moments of tension. The myth that such outcome was the target of Russia’s team in the alien stadium was destroyed by Gazzaev. By hearsay, no one has seen the coach so angry for long. Gazzaev’s spirit could have been lifted, should CSKA be great in at least a game. But a month passed since the stunning victory over Auxerre (4:0), and CSKA has been beaten by Auxerre 0:2, lost to Zenit 0:1 and played milk-and-water against Parma. The experts forecasted the great form shown by CSKA in the match against Benfica in February would be followed by a serious decline in April-May.
Certainly, the latest failures of CSKA could be attributed to the absence of Vagner Lava, who will play at today’s match. Disqualification of Evgeny Aldonin has expired as well, giving Gazzaev more chances for maneuver. But the situation is simultaneously encouraging and uneasy. No one knows what Parma will oppose CSKA, as Parma looks as if the two teams have been rolled into one. As the matches with CSKA were transferred, we know nothing of its today’s condition. Russian bookmarkers bet 1.45 for CSKA victory, the foreign ones give 1.55.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of May 05, 2005
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