Kerzhakov strike rescues draw for Russia

Aleksandr Kerzhakov rescued a draw for Russia as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Uruguay in a warm-up match for UEFA EURO 2012.

A fine goal by Liverpool FC forward Luis Suárez gave the Copa América champions the lead in Moscow, before Kerzhakov responded swiftly ahead of coach Dick Advocaat announcing his squad for the final tournament.

Advocaat had pledged to name his final selection of 23 players after the game and with just one player needing to be cut, following the withdrawals of Roman Shishkin and Vasili Berezutski, it was the final chance for the hopefuls to impress the Dutchman.

Russia took time to settle in the first half and created little though Marat Izmailov, who was playing his first game for the national team in almost six years, was a constant threat. The Sporting Clube de Portugal winger produced an array of delightful turns and forward runs, however his team-mates were not always on the same wavelength.

In fact, it was the South Americans who had the better chances with Suárez and Edinson Cavani both going close. It did not take Uruguay long to make their possession count after the break as, two minutes after the resumption, Suárez picked the ball up on the right-hand edge of the penalty area, cut inside onto his left foot and fired past Vyacheslav Malafeev. 

Russia's response was immediate. Kerzhakov had only been on the pitch for four minutes but he took advantage of some confusion in the visitors' defence and found the net from ten metres. Amid a flurry of substitutions late on, Roman Shirokov and Kerzhakov both had chances to win it for Advocaat's men but they had to be content with a draw.

Russia now travel to Switzerland on 28 May, where they will continue their preparations for UEFA EURO 2012 with friendlies against Lithuania and Italy, before their opening game of the tournament against the Czech Republic on 8 June.