Three-time Russian champions CSKA Moscow warmed up for their Champions League last 16 second-leg showdown with Real Madrid in Spain by drawing 1-1 in a Moscow derby against Dynamo on Friday.
Ivory Coast marksman Seydou Doumbia scored an early opener for the Red Army side at the Luzhniki Stadium, before Russian international midfielder Igor Semshow equalised for Dynamo.
The result leaves CSKA, who also drew 1-1 with real in the first leg, in second place in the championship group on 61 points, five points behind leaders Zenit St Petersburg, who take on Kuban Krasnodar on Sunday.
Dynamo sit third on 59 points.
"We are a little disappointed at having dropped points once again," said CSKA coach Leonid Slutsky, whose side had drawn with Zenit last weekend. "We started pretty well but then lost the initiative completely.
"We had chances to increase the lead on the counter-attack but they put our defence under pressure and eventually we made the mistake which allowed Dynamo to equalise."
CSKA started in a lively fashion and took the lead after just two minutes when Doumbia converted Keisuke Honda's through ball to score his 25th goal of the season.
CSKA should have doubled their lead before the interval when Nigerian midfielder Ahmed Musa got away from Dynamo goalkeeper Roman Berezovsky only to miss the target with the goal gaping.
And Dynamo were rewarded for their second-half pressure when Semshov restored parity in the 75th minute, heading home from the edge of the penalty box from Balazs Dzsudzsak's left-wing cross.
"It was a difficult match for us, and we made life tough for ourselves by conceding such an early goal," Dynamo coach Sergei Silkin said.
"But we battled hard and managed to rescue a point which I believe we deserved."
Source: AFP
