© EuroFootball.com
Over the weekend, two surprises were recorded in the 19th round of the Russian Premier League championship - "Rubin" unexpectedly forced the leader "Lokomotiv" to suffer their first defeat, and "CSKA" failed to win against "Krylja Sovetov".
The first match of the round took place in Kazan. The local team "Rubin" faced the country's champion, Moscow's "Lokomotiv". It seemed that inspired by recent successful results, the "railwaymen" should handle "Rubin" and solidify their lead in the championship.
Already in the 8th minute, "Rubin" player V.Bairamov scored a goal for the hosts, which was disallowed by the referee. This did not discourage the "Rubin" players and in the 12th minute a goal was scored against "Lokomotiv" - it was converted by A.Ajupov against his former team. It seemed that this should awaken the "Lokomotiv" players, but in the 33rd minute A.Dominguez was brought down in the penalty area of the Muscovites. He himself converted the penalty and the first half ended 2-0 in favor of "Rubin".
After the break, "Rubin" players dominated the field again, and in the 75th minute, with the efforts of V.Bairamov, they tripled the score. "Lokomotiv," after conceding the third goal, intensified their actions and in the 80th minute I.Lebedenko softened the result, but it was not enough. Kazan's "Rubin" added to their points tally and this was the fifth consecutive home game for this team in which a victory was achieved.
The capital's club "CSKA" could have reduced the gap with "Lokomotiv", but in Samara they had to settle for a draw. The match started actively and just five minutes into the game, "CSKA" took the lead. However, the struggling "Krylja Sovetov" club did not intend to give up and in the 15th minute, by converting a penalty kick, equalized the score. With a few minutes remaining until the end of the half, "CSKA" player R.Gusev once again put his team in the lead.
After the break, "Krylja Sovetov" controlled the ball more often and played more actively, but they were unable to score and it seemed that "CSKA" would win. However, "Krylja Sovetov's" newcomer Baba Adamu equalized the score just a minute before the final whistle. The match ended in a 2-2 draw.
In Moscow, "Torpedo" hosted Grozny's "Terek", one of the contenders to avoid relegation from the Premier League. The match, which did not delight the audience with sharp moments, ended in a 2-1 victory for "Torpedo". Meanwhile, in Yaroslavl, it was not successful for the "Lithuanian" Vladikavkaz "Alania" club, which had to acknowledge the superiority of the local "Shinnik" with a 1-0 result.
Moscow's "Dynamo" finally achieved a victory under the leadership of their new coach. They defeated "Saturn" with a 0-1 result away from home. The new acquisition from Portugal, goalkeeper Nunu, stood between the goalposts for "Dynamo". As events unfold, Ž.Karčemarskas's prospects in the "Dynamo" club are becoming more promising.
In St. Petersburg, the local "Zenit" met the league debutants "Tomsk". "Zenit" proved their superiority in the 34th minute of the match when A.Spivak scored. R.Poškus could have scored as well, but their team was saved from conceding by the opponent's goalkeeper.
In Sunday's matches, "Moskva" defeated Perm's "Amkar" by a minimal score of 1-0. D.Kiričenko converted a penalty kick in the 74th minute. At the same time, "Spartak" won 2-0 in a home game against the absolute league underdogs, "Rostov".
19th round standings
19th round statistics
3-1
11' [1-0] Ansar Ajupov (penalty)
33' [2-0] Alejandro Dominguez
75' [3-0] Vladimir Bairamov
80' [3-1] Igor Lebedenko
O.Buitkus ("Rubin") was not registered for the match.
2-2
4' [0-1] Sergey Ignashevich
15' [1-1] Andrey Gusin (penalty)
43' [1-2] Rolan Gusev
89' [2-2] Baba Adamu
E.Raziulis ("Krylja Sovetov") was not registered, and D.Šemberas ("CSKA") played the entire match.
2-1
70' [1-0] Igor Semshov
75' [1-1] Vladimir Korytko
89' [2-1] Aleksandr Panov
M.Samusiovas ("Torpedo") was not registered for the match.
1-0
25' [1-0] Pavel Pogrebniak
N.Barasa ("Alania") was not registered, and D.Žutautas ("Alania") played the entire match and received a yellow card in the 56th minute for rough play.
0-1
56' [0-1] Jorge Ribeiro
90' Jean ("Saturn") was sent off the field for a second yellow card.
Ž. Karčemarskas ("Dynamo") was not registered for the match.
1-0
34' [1-0] Aleksandr Spivak
E.Majus ("Zenit") was not registered for the match, and R.Poškus ("Zenit") played until the 90th minute.
1-0
74' [1-0] Dmitriy Kirichenko (penalty)
R.Džiaukštas ("Moskva") was registered for the match but did not appear on the field. A.Jankauskas ("Amkar") was not registered for the match.
2-0
14' [1-0] Mihailo Pjanovich
52' [2-0] Nikita Bazhenov
I.Dedura ("Spartak") played the entire match.
