In the second round of the Russian Premier League, Lokomotiv defeated Krasnodar to claim first place. Meanwhile, Baltika thrashed Spartak, despite playing with nine men, and Zenit conceded a late equalizer in Kazan.
Spartak`s crushing defeat propelled Lokomotiv to the top. Zenit let victory slip away in the final minute. Additionally, this round saw the first wins for Valery Karpin and CSKA`s new coach.
A review of the second round of the Russian Championship: Zenit was the last to play, with goals from Mostovoy and Cassierra in the first half making the St. Petersburg side complacent in Kazan, allowing Rubin to justly punish them with a 2-2 draw.
The league table now stands as follows: Lokomotiv is first with six points. Akron, Baltika, Krylia Sovetov, Rubin, Zenit, Dynamo, and CSKA all have four points. Spartak and Krasnodar each have three points. The reigning champions, Krasnodar, lost at home to Lokomotiv with a score of 1-2.
Murad Musaev, Krasnodar`s head coach, offered a precise assessment of the match:
Lokomotiv created a mini-sensation on their head coach`s mini-anniversary. Mikhail Galaktionov coached his 100th match for the `red-greens` and, as always, was extremely strict and focused on perfectionism, emphasizing remaining shortcomings:
Spartak suffered a humiliating 0-3 home defeat against Baltika, despite two red cards. Kaliningrad`s team had a strong showing in the capital, also securing a draw against Dynamo. The coach of the bold RPL newcomer is now concerned whether his players will maintain the same level of focus against less prominent opponents. Andrey Talalaev stated:
Akron, featuring Dzyuba, secured a dominant 4-0 away victory over Sochi. Dynamo defeated Rostov 1-0 at home (Sergeev scored, giving Valery Karpin his first win with his new club, notably against his former team).
And for CSKA: Swiss coach Fabio Celestini also clinched his first RPL victory with his new team. The `Red-Blues` were trailing against Akhmat from the 15th minute at VEB Arena but turned the game around to lead 2-1 before halftime, with both goals (from Krugovoy) scored during first-half injury time.
The third round of the Premier League, like the first, will extend until Monday. There are two top-tier matches once again. On Saturday, August 2nd, Krasnodar will face Dynamo, and on Sunday, Zenit will battle CSKA. The St. Petersburg side has not been able to defeat the `Army Men` at home in the Russian Championship for three years.
Rupert Blackwood 
Clement Ashworth