Krasnodar inflict first league defeat on CSKA, Lokomotiv beat Zenit
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| AFP |
Russian Premier League table-toppers CSKA Moscow saw their unbeaten start to the season ended in a 2-1 defeat by Krasnodar on Sunday.
A brace by Russian international forward Fedor Smolov set Krasnodar on their way to a third consecutive league win, which lifted them into fifth. Alan Dzagoev was on target for CSKA who, despite the defeat, remain on top of the table, six points ahead of both Lokomotiv Moscow and Rostov.
Lokomotiv beat defending champions Zenit St. Petersburg 2-0 thanks to a Nicolas Lombaerts own goal and an Alexander Samedov strike, while Rostov won 2-1 at Ural Yekaterinburg on Saturday.
Krasnodar opened the scoring against CSKA in the 17th minute when the Brazilian Ari set up Smolov for a close-range finish past Igor Akinfeev in the away goal. CSKA, who lost narrowly to Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League in midweek, levelled in the 27th minute as their Brazilian full-back Mario Fernandes found Dzagoev unmarked in the area and he fired home from 12 yards. But Smolov netted Krasnodar's winning goal just two minutes later when he beat the offside trap to convert a cross from the right by Pavel Mamaev.
"We started aggressively. It was our plan and it worked well as we got two first-half goals," Krasnodar coach Oleg Kononov said. "After the break CSKA's pressing forced us back but luckily we managed to hold onto our lead."
Zenit travelled to the capital fresh from beating French side Lyon to clinch their place in the last 16 of the Champions League in midweek but they fell behind against Lokomotiv three minutes into the second half. Zenit 'keeper Yury Lodygin blocked a shot by Maicon from the edge of the six-yard box but the ball rebounded into the net off the leg of Zenit's Belgian defender Lombaerts.
Samedov sealed the win just before the hour mark with a shot from 25 yards, condemning Zenit to a third league defeat of the season that leaves Andre Villas-Boas's side in fourth place, ten points off top spot.
In the day's first game, Rubin Kazan defeated Krylya Sovetov 2-0 thanks to a brace from Gokdeniz Karadeniz to move up to tenth in the table.