Krylya took the lead early in the beginning, courtesy of Martin Stranzl’s own goal. The Spartak defender was trying to intercept Krylya’s dangerous cross, but the ball deflected right into his team’s own net. Keeper Soslan Dzhanaev could hardly do anything about it at this moment, but three minutes later it was his turn to give excuses to his partners. Another cross from the left flank puzzled the Russian international. He was trying to grope for the ball, but it slipped in the net via his hands.

So after just 15 minutes of the game, Spartak needed to score three goals in order to continue the championship race. The rest of the game was mostly played in Krylya’s half, with Spartak having a few chances to score. But a late goal by Alex turned to be their only success this evening.

As there are just two match days remaining, Spartak are still one point behind Rubin, with the Kazan side having a game in hand against CSKA, and their victory on Sunday will most probably ruin Spartak’s championship hopes.