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In the Russian "Premier" League, most of the matches of the 5th round took place on Saturday. After their second victory, the "Zenit" and "Lokomotiv" clubs, as well as "Luch-Energia", climbed to the top of the tournament table, which are considered favorites of the tournament. "Rostov" celebrated their first win, while the match between "Rubin" and the leader "Moscow" ended in a draw.
Traditionally, the footballers of "Luch-Energia" played first in Vladikavkaz, as they met with the "Amkar" club from Perm. The only goal of the match was scored by Georgi Bazayev in the 36th minute, bringing victory to the hosts.
In one of the most interesting matches on Saturday, St. Petersburg's "Zenit" faced Moscow's "Dinamo". Although both teams had opportunities to score in the first half, the hosts managed to take the lead - after a pass from the flank, Alejandro Dominguez was left unmarked in the penalty area and defeated Zydrunas Karcemarskas with a precise shot from close range.
In the second half, "Zenit" doubled their advantage in the seventh minute when Pavel Pogrebnyak overcame the "traps" on the sideline and fooled "Dinamo" goalkeeper Z. Karcemarskas one-on-one to send the ball into the net.
The last hopes of the visitors were dashed in the 74th minute when Igor Denisov scored a third goal for the hosts with an accurate shot, securing a victory for the St. Petersburg team.
In Samara, "Krylja Sovetov" had to admit defeat to "Rostov" after a late goal by Essau Kanyenda. "Rubin" and "Moscow" shared points, while "Lokomotiv" won with a minimal advantage at home against newcomers "Khimki".
Results of the 5th round matches on Saturday:
"Luch-Energia" 1 - 0 "Amkar" 36' [1 - 0] Georgiy Bazaev
83' Tomislav Dujmovic ("Amkar") sent off
"Zenit" 3 - 0 "Dinamo" 18' [1 - 0] Alejandro Dominguez 52' [2 - 0] Pavel Pogrebnyak 74' [3 - 0] Igor Denisov
Z. Karcemarskas played the entire match, A. Klimavicius (both "Dinamo") remained on the bench
"Krylja Sovetov" 0 - 1 "Rostov" 82' [0 - 1] Essau Kanyenda
"Rubin" 1 - 1 "Moscow" 11' [1 - 0] Aleksandr Ryazantsev 22' [1 - 1] Sergei Semak
"Lokomotiv" 1 - 0 "Khimki" 28' [1 - 0] Dinjar Bilyaletdinov
M. Samusiov (Khimki) remained on the bench
