Da-bro pa-zha- la-vat (Welcome) to the Russian Premier League
The eyes of Europe and the world descended on Moscow at the weekend, and it wasn’t just for Norway’s win at the Eurovision contest or Russia’s entry Anastasia Prihodko.
Sunday evening saw the biggest game of the RPL season to date, featuring the historical cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg, and it was the Army boys of CSKA that triumphed 2-1 over Zenit.
The win gives the Zico coached side outright top position in the RPL ladder.There was more drawing in this RPL round than the Watchmen comic book as the other Russian teams chasing RPL glory fell away; Rubin Kazan, Spartak Moscow, FC Moscow and Dynamo Moscow only managing ties.
Out of the chasing pack, only Kryliya Sovetov (Samara) managed to win as they beat Kuban Krasnodar 1-0 to move up to third place, three points off the lead.
The RPL top and Bottom
The top four
CSKA Moscow 19pts, Rubin Kazan 17pts, Kryliya Sovetov (Samara) 16pts, FC Moscow 16pts.
Bottom two:
Saturn Moscow 6pts, FC Khimki 4pts.
Top Goal Scorers:
Dominguez (Rubin Kazan) and Welliton (Spartak Moscow) 5 goals, Pavel Pogrebnyak (Zenit) four goals.
Saturday
Amkar Perm 2'- 2 Rubin Kazan
An exciting game at the Zvezda Stadium as 14,000 fans witnessed a 2-2 draw between Amkar Perm and current champions Rubin Kazan.
Despite missing a number of their stars it was Rubin who scored first right on 20 minutes; in form Argentinean and the RPL’s joint top scorer Alejandro Domingues found Roman Adamov outside the box.
The striker shot the ball first time, and the ball went low and into the corner of the goal, 1-0 to the holders.Amkar Perm who sit in 13th place came back and it was Brazilian Jean Carlos who equalised for the home team seven minutes later.
The former Feyenoord player raced into Rubin’s box, dribbled through former Perm defender Aleksey Popov and left Rubin goal keeper Sergei Ryzhikov no chance.Amkrar then went in front just before half-time, Bulgarian Martin Kushev scoring from the penalty spot after 42 minutes.
But there was to be heartbreak for the home team. During the fifth minute of injury time, Rubin captain, 33-year-old Sergei Semak, escaped the Amakar defence and levelled the scores at 2-2.
The website Russia Today reported on a bemused Amkar coach Dimitar Dimitrov. “It’s hard to say anything now," he said after the game. "I don’t know how it happened. I think the match already ended before Rubin scored. A lack of concentration from Kalashnikov in just one episode and we’ve lost two points.”
It’s the second week in a row Amkar Perm has suffered right at the death of a match as they were unlucky to lose away to Terek last week again coping a goal in the last minute.
Rubin Kazan lose top spot and got to second.
Form Guide - Last Five Games:
Amkar Perm – WLLDD
Points: 8 Position: 13th
Rubin Kazan - WLWWD
Points: 18 Position: 2nd
Lokomotiv Moscow 4 - 0 Terek Grozny
The Railways Boys’ spanked Chechen side Terek 4-0 in front of almost 10,000 fans at the Railway Yard (Lokomtive Stadium).
Nigerian international Peter Osaze Odemwingie got a double, scoring in the 13th and 52nd minute.The Grozny team gave up after Danel Panku was sent off for his second yellow at 64 minutes.
Russian midfielder Dennis Glushakov then got the third two minutes later and Georgian international midfielder David Mujiri completed the misery for the away side rounding out the score at 4-0 in the 90th minute, although some reports say that Terek’s Cameroon midfielder Jean Bouli put the ball into his own net.
Lokomotiv care-taker coach Vladimir Maminov remains undefeated in his past three matches and the Railway Men are still to concede a goal in that time.
Form Guide - Last Five Games:
Lokomotiv Moscow – DLWDW
Points: 13 Position: 9th
Terek Grozny - LDLDL
Points: 9 Position: 12th
FC Rostov 1 -1 Spartak Nalchik
It seems that all the goals were arriving fashionably late during Matchday 9Before this game both teams have had trouble scoring in recent weeks.Spartak Nalchik scored first through their Brazilian defender Leandro on 24 minutes and then the 12,500 at the SKA SKVO Stadium in Rostov went mad after Serbian midfielder Branimir Petrovic equalised right on the 90 minute mark.
Form Guide - Last Five Games:
Rostov-Na -Donu - DWWDD
Points: 14, Position: 7th
Spartak Nalchik – LWLDD
Points: 7 Position: 14th
FC Khimki 1- 1 FC Moscow
Sometimes when you’re constantly losing in football, apart from the masochist who can’t help but turn up, it’s hard to keep your fans. Only 3,000 fans turned up at the Rodina Stadium to see bottom placed Khimki draw with in-form fourth placed FC Moscow.
Just before half-time an upset was looming as Yuri Kirilov put the hosts in front after 43minutes.
FC Moscow came back in the second half when Slovakian international Martin Jakubko equalised on 58 minutes.
Khimki could have won it had it not been for 31-year-old Russian midfielder Eidar Nizamutdinov's 70th minute penalty miss.
Form Guide - Last Five Games:
FC Khimki - LLDDD
Points: 4 Position: 16th
FC Moscow – WWWDD
Points: 16, Position: 4th
Sunday
Tom' Tomsk 1-1
Spartak MoscowSpartak have been playing well of late, with new coach Valery Karpin having instilled some belief in the side after a poor start. Brazilian duo Welliton and Alex have been running riot in attack and the former is the joint top scorer in the RPL with five goals.
Tom Tomsk’s Trud Stadium and their 11,000 fans roared first when the hosts opened the scoring. Aleksander Kharitonov scored a master piece on 26 minutes. The midfielder dribbled through two Spartak defenders and calmly shot past keeper Soslan Dzhanaev to make the score 1-0.
Soon after the opening goal, it was Spartaks’ 1.91 metre striker Artem Dzjuba who equalised; in-form Alex crossed from the right and the ball found the unmarked 20-year-old. The bean pole attacker was left with a simple header.
The weather in Siberia made for trying conditions as the teams had to fight each other and the weather; heavy rain and strong winds met the teams as they came out for the second half.
Eventually the weather died down in the second half but no team could find the winner.
Form Guide- Last Five Games:
Tom Tomsk - WLWLD
Points: 11 Position: 9th
Spartak Moscow – WWLWD
Points: 14 Position: 6th
Kryliya Sovetov (Samara) 1-0 Kuban Krasnodar
A healthy crowd of 20,000 at the Metallurg Stadium in Samara saw Oleg Ivanov's deflected 52nd minute goal decide the game against the Canaries of Kuban.
Kryliya Sovetov (Samara) could have doubled the lead but Kuban’s goalkeeper Aleksey Botviniev saved from Samara midfielder Anton Bober’s.
After a short spell leading the RPL, Kryliya Sovetov suffered two consecutive losses in their previous games and the win against Kuban moved the team situated on the banks of the Volga River up to third position.
Form Guide - Last Five Games:
Kryliya Sovetov (Samara) - DWLLW
Points: 16 Position: 3rd
FC Kuban Krasnodar - WDDDL
Points: 9, Position: 11th
Saturn Moscow 0-0 Dynamo Moscow
After two consecutive losses and conceding nine goals in the process, the Aliens of Saturn Moscow managed to get at least one foot out of their black hole.
Saturn’s new coach Andrey Gordeev looked on as the home team did well to keep their much-fancied opponents to a scoreless draw in front of 6,000 Saturnites at Saturn Stadium.
Dynamo fall from fifth to eighth and will leave Saturn knowing they should have run rings around the Aliens.
Form Guide - Last Five Games:
The Aliens – DLLDD
Points: 6 Position: 15th
Dynamo Moscow –LLWLD
Points: 13 Position: 8th
CSKA Moscow 2–1 Zenit St. Petersburg
The Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow and the majority of the 30,000 CSKA fans were singing as they beat their arch rivals Zenit St Petersburg 2-1 in the last game of the weekend.
Nigerian attacker Moussa Maazou opened the scoring for the Army Men in the 37th minute. Russian international and the RPL 2008’s Player of the Year Yuri Zhirkov created the opening goal for the home team as he beat Anatoly Timoschuk and Aleksandr Anukov on the flank with great skill, then drove into Zenit’s penalty area before sliding the ball to Maazou, who just needed to tap it into the goal.
Before half-time the blue and black dreadlocks of CSKA's Brazilian striker Vagner Love rattled the crossbar from only two meters out after Daniel Carvalho crossed in from the wing.
Then in the second half controversy ensued after Igor Semshov equalised in the 54th minute for Zenit. The 31-year-old Russian international flicked in Aleksei Ionov's initial header; the home appeals for offside fell to deaf ears.
CSKA got in front with an 86th minute penalty from Vagner Love, putting the Army Men on top of the RPL.
Zenit fall to fifth after being third last week
Form Guide - Last Five Games:
CSKA Moscow –WLWWW
Points: 19 Position: 1st
Zenit St Petersburg -DWLWL
Points: 15 Position 5th
Spasiba (thank you) for reading the update; as the other European leagues wind up, stay tuned to the exciting action that is the Russian Premier League.
Dasvidania (goodbye) till next time.
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