Reigning champions Zenit St Petersburg narrowed the gap behind Russian Premier League leaders CSKA Moscow with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Anzhi Makhachkala on Sunday.CSKA are still top of the table with 37 points and will restore their seven-point advantage if they beat bottom side Samara on Monday.Zenit are second with 33 points, one point ahead of Dynamo Moscow, who sit third.Russian international striker Aleksandr Kerzhakov scored Zenit's winning goal, sending home a rebound after Igor Denisov's shot with 10 minutes to go.Dynamo Moscow meanwhile secured their third position with a confident 2-0 win at Rostov.Midfielder Igor Semshov was the hero of the match scoring twice. The first goal in the 11th minute was Semshov's 100th in the Russian Premiership.His second, with 14 minutes remaining, secured Dynamo's ninth win this season.“We dominated the game completely in the first half and deservedly took the lead,” said Dynamo manager Sergei Silkin.“After the break the hosts were in command but we defended well and were waiting for our chance and finally managed to score the second goal, which decided the match.”Russia's nine-time champions Spartak Moscow also improved their position in the table with a 2-0 away win over Volga at Nizhny Novgorod.Midfielder Dmitry Kombarov put Spartak ahead midway through the first halftime firing home from Artem Dzyuba's precise cross.Brazilian striker Welliton added the second with 23 minutes remaining with a precise shot after a rapid counter-attack to lift Spartak into the fifth place.Portuguese manager Jose Couceiro, who took over Lokomotiv Moscow during the break, started his career in the Russian Premiership with a confident 4-0 home win over Amkar Perm.Veteran playmaker Dmitry Loskov, midfielder Denis Glushakov and strikers Dmitry Sychev and Aleksandr Minchenkov were all on target for the railway-backed side to secure the hosts' well-deserved win.

News source: The China Post
Print this news