ББШ Baltika
Without the Noise

Digest

Week 42 · 12–18 October 2026

This week: 3 texts, 2 matches. Everything in order below, with links.

titles with links — paste into a chat or an email

Matches of the week

14 October 2026
Krylia Sovetov
0 : 2Win
Baltika

· Russian Cup, RPL Path, Group C, Matchday 4
Solidarnost Samara Arena

Three takeaways

  1. Baltika won 2–0 in Samara. Egor Golenkov opened the scoring in the 11th minute; Ilya Kirsh added the second in the 78th from Ilya Petrov's corner.
  2. It was Kirsh's first Baltika goal. The victory took the Kaliningrad side to six points from four Group C matches.
  3. Nineteen-year-old defender German Iva made his senior-team debut, playing 59 minutes.

Possession for Samara, chances for Baltika: behind the 2–0 cup win

Read the analysis →
18 October 2026
Baltika
0 : 0Draw
Rostov

· RPL, Matchday 11
Rostec Arena

Three takeaways

  1. 0–0 at home to Rostov: Baltika moved to 13 points after 11 RPL rounds, remaining seventh.
  2. Baltika improved in the second half, but Rostov created the better chances: 1.88 xG against 0.74, per RuStat.
  3. Latyshonok made two saves, Offor hit the post, and Beveev stood out on the right. Neither starting striker registered a shot.

Beveev drove forward, Latyshonok saved, forwards stayed silent: Baltika's 0-0 Rostov ratings

Read the analysis →

Texts of the week 3

  1. Numbers · From the stands ·

    More own goals than goals against opponents: Russian football's unusual scorers

    The Guardian explored footballers who scored more own goals than goals for their teams. I investigated the Russian game.

  2. Analysis · Match stories ·

    Possession for Samara, chances for Baltika: behind the 2–0 cup win

    Golenkov kisses the turf in his hometown, Kirsh scores his first Baltika goal and the visitors create ten goalscoring chances. A RuStat-based analysis of the 2–0 cup victory, with player ratings.

  3. Investigation · Money ·

    White bread, 200 million euros and a lesson for Baltika. How Midtjylland's transfer factory works

    Baltika have parted with the man under whom they sold players for record fees. In Denmark there is a club that survived a similar change and kept earning: compulsory English, its own school for scouts, an academy in Nigeria. How it works, what the Danes really paid and received — and what to watch in Kaliningrad.

Coming up

  • Krasnodar — Baltika · · RPL · Matchday 12 · Ozon Arena, Krasnodar