CSKA keep up perfect start with Spartak win
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CSKA Moscow clinched a fifth win in five matches with a 2-1 victory at city rivals Spartak on Friday which put them top of the Russian Premier League.
The victory was also a timely morale-booster ahead of their testing UEFA Champions League play-off first leg clash against Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday.
Goals by Russian international defender Sergei Ignashevich and Nigerian striker Ahmed Musa set CSKA on their way to a well-deserved win.
They are three points clear of champions Zenit St Petersburg who meet Krasnodar on Saturday.
"It was a very hard match," said CSKA manager and Russian national team boss Leonid Slutsky.
"We've notched five wins in a row and won the derby, I'm happy with that. But we have no time to celebrate as we have to meet Sporting on Tuesday."
Ignashevich put CSKA into the lead on the half-hour mark with a header after Spartak goalkeeper Artem Rebrov only parried a Pontus Wernbloom shot.
Musa added the second just four minutes later when he beat Rebrov from just inside the area.
Spartak, spurred on by a capacity 45,000 home crowd, pulled a goal back in the 36th minute when Dmitry Kombarov buried a penalty after Bebars Natcho fouled Ivelin Popov.
"Today we were not lucky enough to get the points," Spartak head coach Dmitry Alenichev said. "We still have plenty of work to do."
In Friday's other match, promoted Anzhi Makhachkala chalked up their first point of the season with a 1-1 draw at Amkar Perm.
French forward Yannick Boli put Anzhi 1-0 ahead in the 64th minute but Polish midfielder Janusz Gol pulled the scores level just two minutes later.