Russian manager fired at half-time – media
Furious bosses at Russian Premier League team Akhmat Grozny had seen enough before half-time of their recent defeat against Pari Nizhny Novgorod to sack manager Andrey Talalayev, according to reports.
The Chechen club formally announced that Talalayev, 49, had been relieved of his duties after the 3-1 home defeat to Novgorod on Saturday.
But according to Championat, the coach had already been handed his marching orders by the time the second half had even got underway.
The first half saw the hosts spurn an opportunity from the penalty spot in the 16th minute when Gamid Agalarov thought he’d scored, only for his effort to be ruled out in bizarre scenes as he touched the ball twice while slipping and sending into the net.
Novgorod’s Timur Suleymanov made Akhamt pay with a 22nd-minute opener – paving the way for a torrid half-time break for Talalayev.
“During the break, a tough conversation took place between Talalaev and one of the leaders of the Grozny club,” Championat reported, citing a source.
“It was then that a decision was made in principle for him to leave. Talalaev left the stadium during the break and during the second half he did not lead the team on the touchline.”
Akhmat equalized through Yury Zhuravlev in the 59th minute, only for the guests to hit back two minutes later when Suleymanov struck his second of the game.
Kirill Gotsuk sealed the win for Novgorod on 64 minutes, ensuring they leapfrogged Akhmat into eighth spot in the Russian Premier League table with 12 points from nine games played – one point ahead of the Grozny club.
Some have questioned the decision to sack Talalayev, who stepped into the Akhmat dugout in July of 2020.
The team have enjoyed creditable home draws with reigning champions Zenit St. Petersburg and Spartak Moscow this season, picking up three wins and two draws in the current campaign.
Akhmat have yet to announce Talalayev’s replacement, but are next in action in the Russian Cup against Dynamo Moscow in the Russian capital on Tuesday.
