Igor Semshov struck two goals to help Dinamo Moscow thrash Terek Grozny 6-2 over the weekend, moving the team to within four points of leading the Russian Premier League as top two CSKA Moscow and Zenit St. Petersburg could only draw.
CSKA and Zenit both came from behind to draw 1-1 in their respective matches that also saw both miss penalties.
The results bring Dinamo up to 38 points from 20 games, four short of top-placed CSKA on 42 and two behind Zenit in second on 40.
“It’s great when a team doesn’t relax and settle for a 3-1 win, but continues to give everything and create chances,” said Dinamo midfielder Igor Semshov.
Terek took the lead in the sixth minute with a tap-in from Brazilian striker Everton, but Dinamo quickly replied through an Andrei Voronin header before Kevin Kuranyi’s skilful turn and strike put the hosts ahead. Semshov added another before the break with a long-range effort that deflected off a defender.
Artur Yusupov glided a curling shot over Terek goalkeeper Yaroslav Godzyur immediately after the interval, before Semshov toe-poked his second and Aleksandr Sapeta completed the rout in injury time.
Alan Dzagoyev salvaged a point for CSKA away to Rubin courtesy of a 95th-minute volley that goalkeeper Sergei Ryzhikov could only palm into the roof of the net. Rubin, who travel to Lyon on Tuesday for a Champions League playoff, had defended tenaciously after going ahead through Bibras Natkho’s penalty. CSKA defender Sergei Ignashevich blasted a 67th-minute penalty over the crossbar.
In St. Petersburg, Zenit dominated Amkar Perm but had to rely on a 52nd-minute header from the league’s joint-top scorer Aleksandr Kerzhakov for a point.
Amkar’s Alexander Kolomeitsev stunned the defending champions with a long-range drive in the 23rd minute.
“Our opponents only reached our penalty area twice and scored once,” said Zenit coach Luciano Spaletti.
Elsewhere, goals from Brazilian striker Ari and Russians Dmitry Kombarov and Alksandr Kozlov helped Spartak Moscow beat Anzhi Makhachkala 3-0, ruining the debut of former Chelsea defender Yury Zhirkov.
Zhirkov was booed every time he touched the ball as Russian fans continued to vent their anger at his decision to join a club from the country’s predominantly Muslim southern Caucasus region.
“It didn’t bother me. Our fans supported me,” Zhirkov said after the game.
In other matches there were wins for the league’s bottom two teams, with Spartak Nalchik earning a 2-1 win at Tom Tomsk and last-placed Krylya Sovietov Samara surprising ninth-placed Krasnodar with the same scoreline.
Dan Petrescu’s FC Kuban, in seventh, also won 2-1 at 14th-placed Rostov, while Lokomotiv Moscow, in eighth, played out a 0-0 draw at Volga from Nizhny Novgorod.
