The concluding fixtures saw a dramatic end to the Putin Cup
with Dynamo having completed their fixtures powerless to effect the outcome and
only being able to hope that Spartak could do them a favour by taking at least
a point from Lokomotiv.
CSKA Moscow 0 v
2 Zenit
CSKA who until their
last two fixtures looked like contenders for the cup hosted a Zenit side still
looking to get their first points on the board.
The visitors recent improvement continued as they got off to
the perfect start on 9 minutes when Van Ginkel latched on to a ball from Danny
hitting it first time to give Valdes no chance in the CSKA goal.
CSKA weren’t going to make it easy though with Lodygin being
called into action to prevent efforts from Benteks and Djuricic from levelling
things.
Zenit however sealed victory in the second half when on 67
minutes Danny again was the provider this time for Dzyuba whose first touch
took him past his marker before rifling a shot past Valdes.
A late effort from Dos Santos nearly gave the hosts the goal
that their play had deserved but again found Lodygin on form in the Zenit net.
CSKA Chief Smith will be glad to see the back of this
tournament that for so long promised so much and can now concentrate fully on
their Div 3 promotion push, for Hassan he will be pleased to have finally
broken their duck in the tournament and will hope they can carry the form into
their push to move safely away from the Div 2 drop zone.
Spartak Moscow
1 v 2
Lokomotiv Moscow
It was a must win game for Loko who were looking for 3
points to overhaul Dynamo and clinch the Putin Cup at the death.
It started well for the visitors when in the 9th
minute Mamaev threaded a ball through to Vucinic who stoked a sweet shot into
the top corner beyond the despairing dive of Alvarado.
But the hosts weren’t going to lie down and within 4 minutes
had drawn level, Popov neatly played in Berg who from close range made no
mistake giving Guilherme no chance in the Loko goal.
If the nerves were beginning to jangle in the Loko camp they
were eased on the 24 minute mark when Zurutza squared a ball to Mamaev who’s
dipping shot left Alvarado stranded.
Having made it to half time with their lead in tact Loko
came out for the second half with slightly less attacking intent and happy to
absorb Spartak pressure and had Guilherme to thank on 50 minutes when he saved
from a great Popov effort.
Spartak were struggling to make inroads into Lokos defense
and when they did they found Guilherme equal to the challenge notably saving
from Shirokov in the 73rd minute which could have set up a
grandstand finish.
But despite Spartaks efforts they could not find away
through and as the referee blew the final whistle it signalled jubilant
celebrations from the away supporters.
Dynamo Boss Razzaque can have no complaints at the effort
that Spartak put into this game and manager Houston will be looking for that
effort to be carried on into their Div 2 promotion push. For Loko Gaffer Owen
he can look forward to planning for the
World Club Cup and also transferring the clubs cup performances into the
league.
| Final Table | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
| Lokomotiv Moscow | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 17 |
| Dynamo Moscow | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 17 |
| Spartak Moscow | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 12 |
| CSKA Moscow | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 8 | -3 | 9 |
| Zenit St Petersburg | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | -7 | 3 |
Another great report thanks David! What a great competition - and I'm not just saying that because I won the Putin Cup ;-) Tight competition that went right down to the wire.
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