From 3-1 to 3-4: How the red ball and Pavlyuchenko turned the match around in Dushanbe

The scoreboard at Dushanbe's Central Republican Stadium ended 3-4, but the match had hardly followed the script of an ordinary friendly. Tajikistan led 3-1, Russia was down to 10 men, and then the unusual rules of media football changed everything.

The decisive twist came with the red ball, one of the format's signature rules. Roman Pavlyuchenko also scored a goal that counted for two, helping Russia complete the comeback.

The match between the Tajik and Russian media national teams formed part of celebrations marking the 35th anniversary of Tajikistan's state independence. Organizers turned it into a full festival, with Tajik performers Farrukh Hasanov, Noziya Karomatullo, Farahnooz and Zulaykho Makhmadshoyeva appearing before kickoff. Hasanov performed “Gori!”, the song he sang at Intervision in Moscow in 2025.

The Russian delegation received traditional chapans, while the stands filled well before the teams entered the field. Organizers said 16,850 people attended. The crowd came to see former Tajik football figures including Khurshed Makhmudov, Dilshod Vosiev, Fatkhulo Fatkhulloev and Ibrahim Rabimov, as well as Russian names such as Pavlyuchenko, Alan Dzagoev, Dmitry Tarasov, Georgy Shchennikov and Vitaly Dyakov.

Petr Segrt, who led Tajikistan to its first Asian Cup and a quarterfinal place in 2024, coached the hosts. Russia's group included players from 2Drots, Amkala, Broke Boys and Lit Energy, along with bloggers, streamers and rapper Lil Kavkaz. Andrey Arshavin joined Leonid Slutsky's coaching staff at the last moment. The event brought together fans who grew up watching national-team football and a younger online audience drawn to media-league stars.