A second-half header by defender Alexander Belozerov gave the Russian Premier League's bottom side FC Volga a 1-0 win at fellow strugglers Krylya Sovetov on Monday, just their second victory of the season.
Belozerov scored a diving header in the 68th minute for the Nizhny Novgorod team's first points since a September 1 draw with FC Rostov.
Volga's second-choice goalkeeper Mikhail Kerzhakov saved an 87th penalty by Krylya's Sergei Kornilenko to protect the win at the death.
Volga stay bottom but pull to within one point of Mordovia Saransk in 15th. Krylya end an odd run of three consecutive 2-2 draws and remain 11th.
Both teams hit the woodwork in an entertaining encounter in the central city of Samara.
Moldovan midfielder Alexandru Epureanu rattled the Krylya crossbar on the half-hour mark with a close-range header.
Volga's Andrei Karyaka hit a venomous swerving drive on 40 minutes that Sergei Vermenko did well to pad away. Moments later, Volga midfielder Ruslan Adzhindzhal spurned the best chance of the half, blasting over when played through by Alexander Salugin.
The hosts rode their luck further on the stroke of half time as Karyaka hammered a left-foot shot off the underside of the crossbar.
Krylya had more misfortune of their own on 70 minutes, when Yevgeny Balaikin slid in at the back post to crash a shot off the crossbar and away.
The 12th round of the championship saw wins for the top four teams as Anzhi Makhachkala retained their two-point lead at the summit.
Juan Manuel Insaurralde scored a dramatic injury-time own goal to give Guus Hiddink's men a 2-1 win over 10-man Spartak Moscow on Saturday.
CSKA Moscow remained two points behind with a 2-0 victory over Rubin Kazan, and Terek Grozny stay third, four points off the lead, after a 1-0 away win at Amkar Perm.
An Alexander Kerzhakov penalty handed Zenit St. Petersburg a nervy 1-0 win over a spirited FC Kuban, keeping the champions in the hunt in fourth.
At the other end of the table, Dynamo Moscow scored a 2-1 win at Mordovia Saransk, and FC Krasnodar beat Alania Vladikavkaz 2-0 at home.
