Oh Serder, I’m Still in Shock (How Karpin Lost His Job)

I’m not a great sports journalist. As soon as Serderov broke loose from just outside the box and slotted the game-tying goal past Mitryushkin, smack in front of the Spartak crazies, I nearly lost it in the press box. Ashraff can attest to it…my whole body bouncing and squirming and “#$%! Spartak” slipping out of a couple of times, I have to wonder what the rows of correspondents behind me thought.

At halftime, I ran into someone I met back in the fall, a Spartak fan, who works for one of the Russian sports websites. He was in a good mood, obviously, given the Costa and Jurado goals. Funny enough, he forgot that I supported Anzhi and coughed up a goofy half-laugh, half-“sorry my bad” when I reminded him. But, not to worry, I told him, “Everything’s good at Anzhi again.”

After the final whistle, after a desperate Spartak attack fizzled out and the Anzhi crowd, clumped in the opposite corner from press row, continued to roar its glee amidst an otherwise silent, snow-frosted Lokomotiv Stadium, my Spartak friend stood staring out at the Anzhi end-or was his gaze on Spartak boss Valery Karpin, who was giving his post-match interview? I didn’t have the heart to say anything.

I got to the stadium an hour before kick-off, my thoughts mostly elsewhere on the way across town after a crappy afternoon of work. That changed as soon as I walked through the gates and up to the edge of the pitch. I love sports. And goddamn it all, I love Anzhi. Watching my club battle Russia’s most storied sports franchise is about as good as it gets.

You should really see these Spartak fans, too, if you ever get the chance. At the risk of pissing off other fans…aw hell, who cares. I’ve been to enough Dynamo, Lokomotiv and CSKA games in Moscow and their support stinks. Both Loko and CSKA have even had far more success than Spartak in the last decade and can still come nowhere close to the Red-White numbers. It’s the people’s team, and even at 7 pm on a Monday night against last-place Anzhi, on the heels of bewildering losses to Terek and Tosno, the 28,000-seat stadium was almost full.

The last few stragglers had probably arrived by the time Jurado smashed the second of Spartak’s first-half goals. The crowd was bellowing, Anzhi’s defense was crumbling and Valery Karpin looked like he might survive another day.

That was certainly the mood at halftime, anyhow. Anzhi missed a few opportunities to pull one back, but the intensity from Spartak to start the match had impressed and I, for one, had trouble believing Anzhi could still snag a result, especially on the road.

I wouldn’t say that Makhachkala played all that well in the 2nd half. The first goal came in the 53rd minute after a questionable foul on Anzhi winger Vladimir Bystrov. With the home crowd chanting derisively at the polarizing journeyman, another ex-Spartak man, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, whipped in the free kick for Alexandru Epureanu to pull one back for Anzhi.

About 15 minutes later, Alexander Bukharov appeared to have equalized, breaking through a crowd to punch the ball into the back of the net, but it was waved off, the Anzhi forward judged to have handled the ball on his way into the box.

The last-gasp goal arrived in similar circumstances. Down to the final minute of added time, Anzhi defender Ali Gadzhibekov belted the ball deep into Spartak territory. Red-White center backs Salvatore Bocchetti and Serdar Tasci should have taken cleaned up, but young Dagestani striker Serder Serderov pounced on Tasci’s sloppy touch, bundled the ball forward and flicked the goal home.

That’s when I nearly lost it. Anzhi fell in Moscow a year ago, 2-0, against a weaker Spartak squad, despite boasting a line-up featuring stars like Willian, Eto’o and Zhirkov, and this result came as sweet revenge. Draw though it was, it felt like much more.

That Spartak victory in April 2013, of course, was instrumental in helping procure a spot in Europa League qualifying. The club flubbed the opportunity, crashing out to St. Gallen at home in embarrassing fashion, a performance that nearly cost Valery Karpin his job. Seven months later, though his club sits 3rd, four points off 1st, he’s finally out for real, the victim of a last-minute 50-yard assist from Gadzhibekov to Serderov.

This afternoon, with Twitter lighting up over the Karpin dismissal, it’s hard to believe I was there for his final press conference. The man had little to say, though he did opine that his team got scared after the 2-0 lead and just tried to protect the lead. When he left, a few journalists clapped in respect and that was it. The Karpin era over, for now, and a huge percentage of Spartak fans happy to see him go.

Valery Karpin, knocked out by a 20-year-old Dagestani and his first-ever Premier League goal. Still practically a boy, Serderov will carry the football hopes of his club and his republic in the years to come. And what an opening strike, if ever there was one, its splash into the net shaking first his Caucasus home down south and the thousands of Anzhi fans crowded around the TV, then knocking loose a legendary player, yet oft-maligned coach from his perch atop Spartak football.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Follow Andy Shenk on Twitter: @AndyShenk

Author: Andy Shenk

I discovered football when my family moved to Russia in the early 2000′s. I’ll never forget sprinting around my house after Russia qualified for Euro 2008, belting out the Russian national anthem. Since 2011, I’ve supported Anzhi in all its inspiring glory and heartbreaking dysfunction. Also Andrei Eschenko’s #1 American fan.