Nikolaev called the penalty decision in the Zenit–CSKA match correct

Aleksey Nikolaev, a referee who previously officiated matches in the Russian Premier League, assessed Artem Chistyakov's decision. This was reported by Euro-football.ru.

In the match between Zenit and CSKA, referee Chistyakov awarded a penalty against the Moscow team. The reason for this decision was the collision between Danila Krugovoy and Gustavo Mantuan.

According to Nikolaev, the referee made the right decision. Nikolaev stated that Krugovoy was following the Zenit attacker in accordance with the rules of defense.

However, he then carelessly touched the opponent's left leg with his right foot. This situation is clearly visible.

If Krugovoy had simply continued to follow the attacker, this situation would not have been discussed, Nikolaev said. Speaking about Mantuan's fall, Nikolaev assessed that it is natural for an attacking player to sometimes exaggerate the outcome of a collision.

For reference, the match between Zenit and CSKA ended in a 1:1 draw. Aleksandr Sobolev successfully converted the penalty awarded for Krugovoy's foul.