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Kazan win Russian league title

Rubin Kazan’s 2-1 victory at Ramenskoye on Sunday earned them the Russian league title for the first time with three games left to play as they claimed an unbeatable 10-point lead from CSKA Moscow.

Kazan thereby celebrated the 50th anniversary of the founding of the club in style.

After a goalless first half, Kazan went into the lead in the 75th minute through Raman Adamov, who had come on as a substitute for Karadeniz Gokdenis just five minutes earlier.

The home side refused to give up and leveled at 1-1 in the 80th minute through midfielder Pyotr Nemov.

But another Kazan substitute, Serbian veteran Savo Milosevic, netted his side’s winning goal in the 90th minute from Hasan Kabze’s pass, sending Kazan fans into a wild, celebratory mood.

“I already won the Russian title with CSKA in 2003 but today it’s a completely different feeling,” said Kazan skipper Sergei Semak. “Our win is the achievement of our manager Kurban Berdyev.”

“He created a good team, which became the best in Russia this season. I hope we will be able to represent Russia in the Champions League the best possible way,” he said.

Second-placed CSKA meanwhile suffered a 1-0 defeat in the Moscow derby against nine-time champions Spartak on Saturday.

The Red Army team dominated play in the first half but failed to convert their chances into goals before the break.

Spartak striker Nikita Bazhenov put his side into the lead 11 minutes after the restart, sending the ball home from close range from Vladimir Bystrov’s short cross after a mix-up in the CSKA defense.

CSKA poured forward, pinning Spartak back, but a lack of potency in front of goal cost them dear, allowing Spartak to record their first win over CSKA in more than seven years.

The Red Army’s left winger Yury Zhirkov reduced his side’s chances to save the day following his sending off with six minutes to go after being booked twice within a minute.
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