CSKA Boost Champions League Hopes

CSKA Moscow boosted their bid for Champions League football next season with a 3-0 win over Rubin Kazan on Monday.

A brace by Serbian midfielder Zoran Tozic put the Red Army side on their way to leave them second behind newly-crowned champions Zenit St. Petersburg with one game left.

FC Krasnodar, who beat Rostov 2-1 on Sunday, are third, equal on points with CSKA, but with less victories this season.

"The match was much harder than the scoreline indicates," CSKA manager Leonid Slutsky said.

"But after this win we still cannot relax as the league's second spot is not decided yet.

"We want to earn the spot in next season's Champions League and will do our best to win at Rostov on Saturday."

The Red Army side dominated from the start and in the 43rd minute Tosic put the Muscovites 1-0 up as he hammered the ball home with a precise 23-metre shot.

Nine minutes after the break Tosic netted his second and Finnish international Roman Eremenko added a third after 59 minutes.

Elsewhere Lokomotiv's Portuguese midfielder Manuel Fernandes scored a late equaliser as the 10-man side came from behind to draw 1-1 with visitors Kuban Krasnodar.

Lokomotiv, who beat Kuban 3-1 in the Russian cup final on Thursday, were trailing 1-0 after their 'keeper Marinato Guilherme sent the ball into his own net with a ricochet off Kuban Senegalese striker Ibrahima Balde, who was credited for the goal in the 22nd minute.

In the 40th minute Lokomotiv winger Alexander Samedov also scored but his goal was ruled offside.

Lokomotiv were reduced to ten men when forward Baye Oumar Niasse was sent off with nine minutes to go.

But with time running out Fernandes had Lokomotiv fans on their feet with his goal from 25-meters out flying past the outstretched hands of goalie Alexander Belenov.