Sochi wrote history and after impressive home form all season they qualified for Europe in what was just their second top flight campaign ever. Once again strong summer recruitment and modern counter-pressing style of play ensured positive start to the campaign.
Sochi went unbeaten in the first 7 rounds (W4 D3) and all season they were finding ways to get things done when at home. The only home defeat of the entire campaign was against champions Zenit and it didn’t come until April.
The main problems were on the road though with Sochi earning just 1 point from 5 away games between September and November, which left the team chasing the top 3 for the rest of the season.
Bad luck with injuries also didn’t help much. First on his debut after signing with the club Popov broke his leg and he never recovered, while in 2021 important playmaker Joaozinho + captain and main goalie Dzhanaev were just some of the 6-7 constantly sidelined players.
Despite all this Sochi remained rock solid hosts with 35-year-old Noboa turning back the clock to have amazing season. The Venezuelan ended the season with 12 goals and 11 assists so he was really the heart and the soul of the team.
Still Sochi looked to have missed out on Europe come mid-April after back-to-back defeats vs. Rubin and Zenit. However, near perfect run in the last 5 rounds (W4 D1) was enough to leapfrog CSKA and write history.
Sochi are highly ambitious team with strong financial backing so serious strengthening of the ranks in the summer can be expected after qualification for Europe was reached. Also Popov was expected to have huge impact when signed so after months of recovery he will add extra piece to the team next season.
