Russia round-up: Zenit edge out Rotor

FC Zenit St. Petersburg earned three valuable Russian Premier-Liga points with a 1-0 victory over SC Rotor Volgograd at the Petovsky stadium on Wednesday.

Arshavin on target
Andrei Arshavin's powerful 52nd-minute shot from the edge of the area took Rotor goalkeeper Andrei Chichkin by surprise and he could only palm the ball into the top corner of his goal. It was a touch harsh on the visitors who had looked sharp on the counterattack and went close through Oleg Trifonov and Roman Pavluchenko. Rotor rallied after the goal and could have levelled just after the hour, Valeri Esipov having two chances blocked before firing the rebound over the crossbar.

First win for Torpedo-ZIL
FC Torpedo-ZIL Moscow earned their first win of the new season as they beat FC Torpedo Moscow 2-1 in their encounter at the Torpedo-ZIL stadium. The hosts took the lead through Dmitri Kuznecov after just two minutes, with Dmitri Smirnov doubling their advantage midway through the first half. Karzn Oganian pulled a goal back for Torpedo on the stroke of half-time but the hosts hung on to secure the points.

Evening games
In Wednesday night's late games, CSKA Moscow moved to the top of the table with a 1-0 victory over FC Sokol Saratov while Dinamo Moscow's excellent start also continued with a 2-0 triumph at home against FC Anzhi Makhachkala.