Opening
Gil's quick goal was an almost perfect start for a trip to Makhachkala. From there the game could be played from structure, from the mid-block, from discipline without the ball. The problem is that Baltika decided too early that this was already enough. And that, it seems, is the coaching staff's main conclusion after the game.
Before the break everything looked tolerable, not because Baltika dominated but because they did not let the match fall apart. After the break it went the other way. They failed to close down a cross and lost the aerial duel. Then they gifted the opponent a penalty. This is not a story about one episode that went wrong. It is a story about losing control of their own penalty area.
