Late Rally Salvages Point for Saratov as Ten-Man Ufa Surrenders Two-Goal Advantage

SARATOV, Russia — In the cruel arithmetic of football, FC Ufa learned Saturday that a two-goal cushion means nothing when you're down to ten men and the clock is bleeding into stoppage time.

Sergey Gribov's 80th-minute strike and a dramatic 90th-minute equalizer completed FK Sokol Saratov's improbable comeback, salvaging a 2-2 draw at Stadion Lokomotiv and denying the visitors three precious points in Russia's First League standings. What had appeared a comfortable afternoon for Ufa — who led 2-0 despite playing a man down for more than half the match — dissolved into frustration as Saratov's persistence finally cracked their defensive resolve.

The match turned on a moment of madness in the 39th minute. Ivan Khomukha's red card left Ufa to navigate more than fifty minutes with ten men, yet David Ozmanov's 21st-minute opener had already established the visitors' intentions. Playing against a Saratov side mired in 16th place with just one victory all season, Ufa appeared poised to capitalize on their superior league position and collect a vital win.

Instead, they discovered what every coach warns about: football punishes complacency.

Aleksey Baranovskiy extended Ufa's advantage to 2-0 in the 70th minute, a goal that should have sealed the points. By then, Ufa's numerical disadvantage had become almost irrelevant — they had absorbed Saratov's pressure, protected their goalkeeper, and executed the kind of disciplined defensive performance that wins matches on the road. The home supporters at Stadion Lokomotiv had grown restless, their team's struggles laid bare against ten men.

But Saratov, desperate to escape the relegation quicksand with just nine points from thirteen matches, found something in those final ten minutes. Gribov's goal ten minutes from time injected belief into the hosts and anxiety into Ufa's backline. Suddenly, the visitors' comfortable lead had become a slender advantage, and the momentum shifted decisively.

The equalizer arrived in the 90th minute, the identity of the scorer lost in the chaos but the impact unmistakable. Saratov's players wheeled away in celebration; Ufa's slumped in disbelief. Two points surrendered. Three points squandered.

For Ufa, sitting 14th with twelve points, the result represents a frustrating pattern. They've now drawn six of their thirteen matches this season, collecting points but never enough to climb meaningfully up the table. Their recent form tells the story: four consecutive draws before Saturday, including goalless stalemates against Spartak Kostroma and Chelyabinsk. They're a team that knows how to avoid defeat but struggles to impose victory.

Saturday's collapse will sting particularly because it came against opponents who should have been vulnerable. Saratov entered the match winless in their previous four league fixtures, managing just a single draw against Arsenal Tula while conceding defeats to Rodina Moskva. Their record — one win, six draws, six losses — speaks to a team fighting for survival rather than challenging for promotion.

Yet Saratov's resilience cannot be dismissed. Their recent run included back-to-back victories in cup competition and against Torpedo Moskva, suggesting capability that their league position doesn't fully capture. Saturday's comeback demonstrated character, the kind of never-say-die mentality that keeps teams alive in relegation battles.

The red card to Khomukha will dominate Ufa's post-match inquest. Playing with ten men for nearly an hour, building a two-goal advantage, and then surrendering it — the narrative writes itself. Questions will be asked about game management, about whether Ufa became too defensive, about whether they invited pressure that better teams would have resisted.

For both clubs, the draw changes little in the immediate standings but reveals everything about their seasons. Ufa remains stuck in mid-table mediocrity, unable to string together the wins necessary for a promotion push. Saratov stays anchored near the bottom, grabbing points where they can, hoping resilience translates to survival.

As the First League season grinds through its middle stages, Saturday's result offers a harsh reminder: in football, nothing is secure until the final whistle sounds. Ufa learned that lesson the hard way, watching two points slip through their fingers as the clock struck ninety. Saratov, meanwhile, earned a point that might prove invaluable when the season reaches its conclusion and survival hangs in the balance.