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In the Russian Premier League over the weekend, the 28th round of matches took place, after which the championship leader "CSKA" gained a four-point advantage over the pursuers, placing them a step away from the title, and the fight for places in European tournaments intensified even further - "Spartak" and "Lokomotiv" are tied for the second Champions League spot with equal points, while "Rubin" defeated the "Zenit" club and overtook them in the race for a place in the UEFA Cup.
In the weekend match, Moscow's "CSKA", confidently aiming for the gold medals with D.Šemberas, faced one of the league's underdogs, "Rostov". The "Army" did not wait long, and already in the first half, after goals from J. Zhirkov and V. Love, they secured a two-goal lead, so M. Buznikin's goal in the middle of the second half didn't change anything.
Unlike the consistently strong "CSKA", Moscow's "Lokomotiv", defending the title of champions, continued to play consistently unsuccessfully - the capital club met "Saturn" and ended the fourth consecutive match in a draw, extending their winless streak to seven matches.
The defeat of the "railroad workers" not only distanced them from the leader "CSKA", but also allowed Moscow's "Spartak" to equalize in points, defeating Yaroslavl's "Shinnik" 3-1 away. In the next round, "Spartak" will face "Saturn", "Lokomotiv" will play against "Terek", and in the final decisive matches, which should determine which of the teams will take second place, they will face each other.
Kazan's "Rubin" is trailing the clubs sharing the second position by four points, having defeated the local "Zenit" in an important match in Saint Petersburg and overtaking them by two points. The only goal for the winners was scored by V. Bairamov in the 56th minute. Meanwhile, "Moskva", occupying the sixth place, failed to take advantage of the opportunity to rise higher, as they lost the capital derby with a two-goal lead to the "Torpedo" club.
Samara's "Krylya Sovetov" narrowly defeated Perm's "Amkar" at home and practically secured their place in the next season's Premier League, while Vladikavkaz's "Alania" has not lost hope yet after a victory in the match against Grozny's "Terek", who no longer have any theoretical chances.
Moscow's "Dynamo" suffered their second consecutive defeat, losing in a dramatic match to Tomsk's "Tom". The guests took the lead after two goals from Portuguese legionnaires, but after the break, the hosts not only equalized the score but also snatched a victory in the last minute.
Tournament table
28th round results
1 - 1
36` [0 - 1] Jean Ferreira
50` [1 - 1] Diniyar Bilyaledinov
R. Džiaukštas ("Saturn") played the whole match
1 - 3
23` [0 - 1] Vladimir Bystrov
25` [0 - 2] Roman Pavlyuchenko
79` [1 - 2] Sergey Chernogaev
90` [1 - 3] Roman Pavlyuchenko
I. Dedura ("Spartak") did not appear in the match
2 - 0
43` [1 - 0] Konstantin Zyryanov
61` [2 - 0] Igor Semshov
M. Samusiovas ("Torpedo") was not registered for the match
0 - 1
56` [0 - 1] Vladimir Bairamov
R. Poškus ("Zenit") played from the 79th minute, O. Buitkus ("Rubin") was not registered for the match
3 - 2
8` [0 - 1] Miguel Danny
37` [0 - 2] Cicero Sanches
51` [1 - 2] Branislav Krunic
61` [2 - 2] Denis Kiseliov
88` [3 - 2] Denis Kiseliov
A. Skerla ("Tom") played the whole match, A. Gedgaudas ("Tom") was not registered for the match, Ž. Karčemarskas ("Dynamo") did not appear in the match
1 - 0
44` [1 - 0] Baba Adamu
N. Barasa ("Krylja") and A. Jankauskas ("Amkar") did not appear in the match
1 - 2
21` [0 - 1] Georgi Bazayev
59` [0 - 2] Spartak Gogniyev
82` [1 - 2] Mussa Mazaev
D. Žutautas ("Alania") did not appear in the match
2 - 1
20` [1 - 0] Yuri Zhirkov
25` [2 - 0] Vagner Love
58` [2 - 1] Maksim Buznikin
D. Šemberas ("CSKA") played the whole match
