Russia round-up: CSKA edge closer to summit

PFC CSKA Moskva remain in the Russian Premier-Liga championship chase after defeating FC Torpedo-ZIL Moskva 2-0 today to move within five points of the leaders, FC Lokomotiv Moskva.

Strong start
CSKA started strongly and opened the scoring in the ninth minute through captain Sergey Semak. Dmitri Kirichenko struck later in the half to take his personal tally to 13 and increase his chances of finishing the season as the Russian top-flight's leading scorer.

Tight at the top
The three points collected today move CSKA to within a point of second-placed FC Spartak Moskva. Spartak, UEFA Champions League challengers and winners of the last seven Russian league campaigns, are in severe danger of relinquishing their crown as they have played two games more than both CSKA and Lokomotiv.

Lead thrown away
At the opposite end of the table, FC Anzhi Makhachkala allowed FC Zenit St.Petersburg to fight back from 2-0 down to salvage a draw.  Alexander Mitrofanov shot Anzhi ahead and a penalty from Villar Oliveira extended the away team's advantage. However, Zenit showed tremendous courage to hit back through Olexander Spivak (35) and Predrag Ranjelovic (73).

Relegation fight
Anzhi stay second from bottom and have a huge task on their hands to avoid relegation. Torpedo-ZIL, two points clear of Anzhi, are also in severe trouble, although winning their game in hand could see them climb to 12th in the 16-club division.