Lokomotiv steam to victory

FC Lokomotiv Moskva 3 Grazer AK 3 (Lokomotiv win 5-3 on aggregate)
FC Lokomotiv Moskva earned a place in the first group stage of the UEFA Champions League but were made to sweat by Grazer AK in a 3-3 draw at the Lokomotiv stadium.

Cruising to victory
Holding a 2-0 lead from the first leg, Lokomotiv looked to be cruising towards victory when Sergei Ignashevich headed a Dmitri Loskov corner into the Grazer goal after just six minutes, and when Lokomotiv scored a second after 32 minutes, as visiting goalkeeper Franz Almer could only parry Julio César's shot into the path of Vadim Evseev, Grazer may have been tempted to abandon hope.

Careless defending
However, they proved that they were made of sterner stuff after 37 minutes when F.Y.R. Macedonia forward Ilco Naumoski was left unmarked in the area and beat Lokomotiv goalkeeper Sergei Ovchinnikov at the second attempt. Julio César exploited some careless defending to make it 3-1 to Lokomotiv at half-time, but Grazer refused to crumble.

Lokomotiv derailed
The second half saw the Austrian visitors begin to exploit the gaps left in the Lokomotiv side by injuries to key players Marat Izmailov, Ruslan Pimenov and James Obiorah, with Croatian striker Mario Bazina raising Grazer's hopes with a deflected shot which squirmed past Ovckinnikov two minutes after the break.

Brave attempt
After 62 minutes, the score on the night was even as Rene Aufhauser headed a goal from a corner but though the Austrian side continued to press forward in search of the two goals that would have seen them secure an unlikely aggregate victory, Lokomotiv regained their composure and held on to take their place in the first group stage of the Champions League.