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The defending champions of the Russian "Premier" League title, Lokomotiv Moscow, will have to face the remaining part of the 2005 season without their attacking leader Dmitrij Syčiovas, who suffered a serious injury and will be unable to play for about six months.
On Saturday, Lokomotiv unexpectedly lost to Kazan's Rubin in the Russian championship match. It was the first defeat of the season for the Moscow club in the league, but the misfortune did not end there - in the final moments of the match against Rubin, Syčiovas collided with the opponent's goalkeeper Pavel Karčik.
After further examinations in Germany, it was revealed that the injury is very serious, and today in Stuttgart, the player underwent surgery on his left knee. The 21-year-old Syčiovas' rehabilitation will last for several months, so he will no longer be able to help his team this season.
Syčiovas, who is dubbed as the "Russian Michael Owen," previously played for Moscow's Spartak and Marseille teams in his career. He joined Lokomotiv last season and helped his team win the national championship title and was named the best player of the 2004 Russian championship. In total, the striker has played 48 matches for Lokomotiv and scored 21 goals.
