Ronaldo Strike Gives Rostov Narrow RFPL Win at Nizhny Novgorod

FK Rostov edged FK Nizhny Novgorod 1–0 on Sunday, with a first-half goal from Ronaldo proving decisive in their RFPL matchday 23 encounter.

The visitors took control in the 29th minute when Ronaldo finished off a move created by Kirill Shchetinin. The forward’s strike put Rostov 1–0 up, a lead they preserved for the remainder of the contest. It was the only goal of a tight game and shifted the balance in the regular-season standings in Rostov’s favour.

RFPL FINISHED

2026-04-05 11:00

FK Nizhny Novgorod

0 - 1

FK Rostov

Matchday 23 REGULAR_SEASON

Nizhny Novgorod reacted with a triple substitution at half-time, introducing Yuriy Koledin, Renaldo Cephas and Matvey Urvantsev in place of Adrián Balboa, Daniil Lesovoy and Egor Smelov, as they searched for a route back into the match. Despite the changes, the hosts were unable to break down a disciplined Rostov side.

Rostov adjusted shortly after the hour mark, withdrawing goalscorer Ronaldo and Konstantin Kuchaev for Andrey Langovich and Mohammad Mohebi in the 61st minute, then later replacing Dmitriy Chistyakov and assist-provider Shchetinin with German Ignatov and Daniil Shantaliy on 71 minutes to help see out the result.

The match grew more physical after the break. Shchetinin (51′) and Chistyakov (55′) saw yellow cards for Rostov, while Nizhny Novgorod’s Edgardo Fariña (79′) and Matvey Urvantsev (90′) were booked late on. Rostov’s Egor Golenkov was also cautioned in the 86th minute.

Nizhny Novgorod made further attacking tweaks in the closing stages, sending on Artem Sidorenko for Luka Tičić on 85 minutes and Andrey Ivlev for Ilya Kirsh on 89 minutes, but the home side could not find an equaliser. Rostov used a final substitution in stoppage time, with Anton Shamonin replacing Timur Suleimanov.

Detailed statistics such as possession, shots and goalkeeper performances are not available in the provided data. Full match information and competition context can be found on Ballaxy: match centre, FK Nizhny Novgorod, FK Rostov and the RFPL overview.

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RFPL Standings

Season: 2025/26

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Form
1	FK Krasnodar	28	19	6	3	56	21	35	63	W W W D D
2	FK Zenit Sankt-Petersburg	28	18	8	2	50	18	32	62	W W D W D
3	FK Lokomotiv Moskva	28	13	11	4	52	36	16	50	D L D W D
4	FK Spartak Moskva	28	14	6	8	45	38	7	48	L W L W D
5	FK Baltika Kaliningrad	28	11	13	4	37	18	19	46	L L D D D
6	PFC CSKA Moskva	28	13	6	9	39	31	8	45	L D D D L
7	FK Rubin Kazan	28	11	9	8	26	26	0	42	W D W D D
8	FK Dinamo Moskva	28	10	9	9	47	38	9	39	D W L D W
9	RFK Akhmat Grozny	28	9	8	11	33	37	-4	35	W L D L D
10	FK Rostov	28	7	9	12	22	30	-8	30	W L D L D
11	PFK Krylya Sovetov Samara	28	7	8	13	31	48	-17	29	W W L D D
12	FK Akron Tolyatti	28	6	9	13	33	46	-13	27	L W D D L
13	FK Orenburg	28	6	8	14	28	41	-13	26	L W W L D
14	FK Dinamo Makhachkala	28	5	9	14	18	36	-18	24	L L D L D
15	FK Nizhny Novgorod	28	6	4	18	23	46	-23	22	L L L D D
16	PFK Sochi	28	6	3	19	27	57	-30	21	W L W W W