Rubin Kazan went on to excel in the Cup of Russia in 1997–98. First, they beat Fakel Voronej, then Lokomotive Nizhniy Novgorod, and then Arsenal from Tula. In the game against Tula, a goal by Airat Ahmetgaliev became decisive, as it was scored only two minutes before the end of the match, delighting the 15,000 fans in the Tsentralny stadium. Later in 1998, Volchok retired as head coach, and was replaced by Alexander Sergeyevich Irkhin, although he would only last for the remainder of the season. In the first division championship of this year, Rubin Kazan finished in 7th place.