Spartak Moscow secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over CSKA in the final match of the Path of Regions segment of the Fonbet Russian Cup for the 2025/2026 season. The decisive encounter took place at the Lukoil Arena in Moscow, continuing a remarkable streak of dominance for the red-and-whites in this particular cup rivalry.
Following the triumph, the club's official Telegram channel shared a celebratory post featuring a nostalgic message. The post read, "Just like the good old days. For the third time in a row, we knock CSKA out of the Cup. It feels great," accompanied by a photo capturing the moment.
This latest win marks the third consecutive time Spartak has eliminated CSKA from the Russian Cup knockout stages. The last time CSKA managed to get the better of their city rivals in this tournament was back on May 11, 2011. That dramatic semi-final ended 3-3 after regular and extra time, with CSKA ultimately prevailing 5-4 in a penalty shootout.
Since that 2011 setback, Spartak has built an impressive cup record against the army club. Their run of success began in the 2019/2020 quarter-finals, where they advanced with a 3-2 victory after extra time. They repeated the feat in the same stage of the 2021/2022 competition, this time with a narrow 1-0 win.
The pattern continued in the current season's Path of Regions final, with Spartak again securing a 1-0 victory. This consistent performance in high-stakes cup matches has firmly established Spartak's psychological edge in this historic Moscow derby when it comes to knockout football.
With this victory, Spartak Moscow now advances to the Superfinal of the Russian Cup. Their opponent will be determined by the outcome of the other Path of Regions final between Krasnodar and Dynamo Moscow. The red-and-whites will be watching that match closely as they prepare for the ultimate showdown for domestic cup glory.
The club's social media post perfectly encapsulated the sentiment among the Spartak faithful, evoking memories of past successes while celebrating a modern-day achievement that has become a recurring theme in this rivalry.
Based on reporting from Чемпионат.com.