Spartak Kostroma vs Neftekhimik

Spartak Kostroma edged past Neftekhimik 1-0 at home in matchday 11 of the FNL, a tight, low-event contest settled by one moment of quality in the first half. It was a narrow, hard-fought win rather than a dominant display, with the hosts controlling the ball but never fully cutting Neftekhimik loose. The decisive goal came from Kirill Malyarov in the 34th minute, and it proved to be the only meaningful strike of the afternoon. Spartak finished with the better of the possession, around 54%, and picked up three corners to Neftekhimik's none, though shots on target actually favored the visitors 1-0. There were no cards, penalties, or further incidents to speak of — just a tense scoreline that held to the final whistle. The win was Spartak Kostroma's third in a row, lifting them to 21 points and third place in the table, a strong platform heading into the next round. Neftekhimik, by contrast, stay stuck in 11th on 12 points, still searching for the consistency to climb away from the lower half of the standings.