Spartak win over Rostov, FC Krasnodar go fifth
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A goal by Dutch midfielder Quincy Promes lifted Spartak Moscow to a 1-0 win over visitors Rostov at Otkrytie Arena on Sunday.
The result left the nine-time former champions in fourth, level on 16 points with third-placed reigning champions Zenit St. Petersburg, six behind the leaders CSKA Moscow. Another Moscow side Lokomotiv Moscow sit second, five points behind CSKA.
"I'm happy with the result as we've earned three points in a clash with the strong opponents but the quality of the play was low today," Spartak manager Dmitry Alenichev said. "It's a common occurrence when the players come back to the club after their international duties."
Rostov started in a lively fashion pinning Spartak back from the kick-off but failed to create any serious threat. In the 28th minute Promes scored Spartak's decisive goal, beating Rostov 'keeper Soslan Dzhanaev with a 22-metre low shot into the far right corner.
The 23-year-old Dutchman joined Zenit's Brazilian sharpshooter Hulk on top of the league's scorers chart, both with five goals in eight matches.
Elsewhere, FC Krasnodar, third last season, thrashed visitors Dynamo Moscow 4-0 to go fifth. Colombian midfielder Ricardo Laborde put Krasnodar 1-0 up ten minutes into the match beating Dynamo goalkeeper Vladimir Gabulov with a powerful 20-metre shot.
Russian international Pavel Mamaev added a brace either side of the strike by Odil Akhmedov to set Kranodar on their way to a well-deserved win.
In Sunday's late encounter Terek Grozny chalked up their season's first win in the Caucasian derby at Anzhi Makhachkala 2-0 courtesy of an own goal by Serbian Darko Lazic and a strike by forward Igor Lebedenko.