Speaking at a press conference after the match, Gazzayev, 54, said, "I am leaving a wonderful group of players who are genuinely sure of themselves." He also joked that, "The new trainer will get a beatufully-packaged side."
Gazzayev, the only Russian trainer to lift a major European club trophy, stated in the summer that he would leave CSKA at the end of the season, citing tiredness. However, the side were going through a bad patch at the time, and after Gazzayev's announcement made exceptional progress, finishing second in the domestic league and earning a 2009/10 Champions League group place. They also won all of the six UEFA Cup matches they were involved in, and it was widely believed that the trainer would change his mind and stay on.
In the event, however, he could not be persuaded to remain at the club. His last match at the helm of the side he lifted the UEFA Cup with in 2005 proved to be a memorable one, CSKA taking a 3-1 lead before Nancy clawed their way back into the game to draw level at 3-3. However, CSKA's prolific Brazilian striker made sure Gazzayev's final match in charge would be a happy one, firing low into the right-hand corner of the net from just outside the box in the 88th minute.
The goal was his third of the game, and meant that Love, who is reportedly a target for Chelsea, has scored a remarkable 10 goals in his last three games in all competitions. He is also the UEFA Cup top scorer with eight goals in six matches.
CSKA had already qualified for the play-off stages of the UEFA Cup, and only needed a point to ensure they would finish their group in top place. They are the only side to collect maximum points from their four group ties, earlier beating Deportivo, Feyenoord and Lech Poznan.
It is not yet clear who will replace Gazzayev at CSKA, or, indeed, what plans the trainer has in mind for the future. The club has yet to officially comment on Gazzayev's announcement.
Gazzayev first took over CSKA in 2001, but despite winning the domestic league in 2003 he was sacked for failing to take the team into the lucrative Champions League group stages. However, a year later, he was invited back to the club, and, obviously not a man to hold grudges, immediately won the Russian Premier League, the Russian Cup and the UEFA Cup for the former Red Army side.
