Moscow (AFP) – Russia’s most successful side Spartak Moscow edged city rivals Dynamo 2-1 on Saturday to claim the lead in the Russian Premier League.
Goals by Dutch midfielder Quincy Promes and Paraguayan striker Lorenzo Melgarejo steered the 10-time Russian champions to their 28th win over Dynamo in 56 post-Soviet era meetings.
Spartak, seeking to reclaim the title from their other Moscow rivals Lokomotiv, moved one point ahead of Zenit St Petersburg, who visit Ufa on Sunday and Rostov, who beat Tula 1-0 on Friday.
Promes put Spartak into a sixth minute lead with a precise penalty after Cape Verde international forward Ze Luis was brought down in their area.
Melgarejo added his goal eight minutes later sending the ball home with a header off a well-served corner.
Dynamo full back Vladimir Rykov reduced the arrears lobbing the ball into the net from his own half of the pitch with eight minutes to go.
“We’ve started really well,” Spartak manager Massimo Carrera said. “But in the second half we unexpectedly sat back giving Dynamo too much space.
Elsewhere, last season’s struggling runners-up CSKA Moscow lost points again as they were held 1-1 by Rubin Kazan.
Rubin striker Dmitry Poloz fired the ball into the net from close range after a mix-up in the CSKA defence 10 minutes into the game.
CSKA forward Fyodor Chalov levelled five minutes after coming on as a 62nd minute substitute when he received a pinpoint assist from Kristijan Bistrovic in the area and nutmegged keeper Ivan Konovalov.
