FC Dynamo Kyiv 0-2 FC Rubin Kazan
Goals from Alan Kasaev and Bebras Natcho have made Rubin firm favourites to progress to the play-offs, according to UEFA.com.
FC Rubin Kazan are well placed to reach the UEFA Champions League play-offs following a 2-0 victory against FC Dynamo Kyiv.
Rubin lost 3-1 in Ukraine when the teams met in the group stage two years ago but a repeat never looked on once Alan Kasaev gave the Tatarstantsi an early lead. Bebras Natcho`s penalty midway through the second half, awarded when Yevhen Khacheridi pulled the shirt of Aleksei Medvedev, leaves Yuri Semin`s men with it all to do in the return.
Rubin were quickly out of the traps, taking the lead on six minutes when Christian Noboa gave Pape Diakhaté the slip and teed up Kasaev for the simplest of finishes. Sergei Ryzhikov preserved Rubin`s lead with a fantastic double save midway through the first half, keeping out Andriy Yarmolenko`s long-range effort and Ognjen Vukojević`s close-range follow-up, before Dynamo`s frustration increased when the latter struck the crossbar.
If there was panic in the Rubin back line on those occasions, then the second half was relatively plain sailing as Kurban Berdyev`s men defended competently. Indeed, on a rare foray forward they were rewarded with a second goal after Medvedev was pulled down in the area.
Dynamo`s attempts at a response were limited to Ideye Brown − who had scored four goals in his previous two games − firing wide and Miloš Ninković narrowly missing the target in added time.
