Akron 2-2 CSKA Moscow: Late Carmo equaliser denies hosts historic win in RPL thriller (full match highlights)

On August 28, 2026, at the Solidarnost Samara Arena in Samara, Akron and CSKA Moscow played out a thrilling 2-2 draw in their Russian Premier League Round 6 fixture. The hosts were on course for a sensational victory until the 77th minute, but CSKA snatched a point through Enrique Carmo's late header. Luciano Gondou opened the scoring for CSKA in the 13th minute after a pass from Kirill Glebov — the Argentine striker unleashed a powerful strike from outside the box that flew into the top corner, leaving the Akron goalkeeper with no chance. However, Akron responded almost immediately: in the 23rd minute, Yomar Rocha finished from Gilson Benchimol's cross from the left flank, equalising with a beautifully worked three-pass move. The first half saw both teams exchange dangerous attacks, but the goalkeepers stood firm under pressure. In the 33rd minute, Denis Popenkov received a yellow card for a foul on a CSKA midfielder. The second half became more open, and in the 66th minute, Benchimol put the hosts ahead after a pass from Stefan Lončar — the Brazilian striker coolly beat his marker and fired into the far corner. CSKA refused to give up, and in the 77th minute, their persistence paid off: Enrique Carmo powered a header past the goalkeeper from Mateus Alves' cross from the right flank, restoring parity in dramatic fashion. In the aftermath, referee Pavel Shadykhanov showed five yellow cards: Kristijan Bistrovic (73'), Rodrigo Eskoval (73'), Luciano Gondou (73'), Paulo Vitor (90+2') and Arseniy Dmitriev (90+3'). Both teams had chances to snatch a winner in stoppage time, but the defenders stood firm. Match statistics: CSKA had 57% possession, registered 14 shots to Akron's 9, completed 82% of their passes against 73%, and earned 7 corners to Akron's 4. With this result, Akron moved to 12th place with 5 points, while CSKA stayed 4th with 12 points, now four points behind the league leaders. Akron's manager Zaur Tedeev praised his team's performance as one of their best this season but admitted they lacked concentration in the closing stages. His CSKA counterpart Marko Nikolić, meanwhile, highlighted his players' character and ability to rescue points in difficult moments — a sign of true championship mentality.