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RUBIN HELD TO DRAW BY WOLFSBURG IN EUROPA LEAGUE
VfL Wolfsburg left Rubin Kazan with an important
1-1 in the opening leg of their round of sixteen Europa League match at
Central Stadium, thanks to Zvjezdan Misimovic's second-half strike.
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Rubin Kazan's Aleksandr Orekhov (L) fights
for the ball with Wolfsburg's Ashkan Dejagah during their Europa
League last 16 first leg soccer match at the Central stadium in
Kazan Photo REUTERS
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With Sunday's contest against Lokomotiv Moscow looming in
the horizon as well as a number of key injury related absences, including
Sergey Semak, Rubin manager Kurban Berdyev, as he did so well last year,
juggled his line-up providing Alexandr Orekhov a berth in the starting
eleven.
Played in chilly conditions on frost-laden pitch, the defending Bundesliga
champions continued their resurgent play under manager Lorenz-Gunther
Kostner and continuously posed problems for Rubin. Ten minutes after the
opening whistle, Rubin goalkeeper Sergey Ryzhikov stopped Edin Dzeko's
attempt, after the Bosnia and Herzegovina international got on the end
of Christian Gentner's through ball.
Rubin Kazan saw fine quality chances by Alexandr Orekhov and Macbeth Sibaya
squandered before Oba Martins, formerly of Newcastle, was denied by Sergei
Ryzhikov. However, at the twenty-ninth minute Rubin Kazan went out in-front
1-0 thanks to a clever build-up of play by Cristian Ansaldi.
The twenty-three year-old Argentine cleverly shook off his mark on the
left side of the box before lofting a cross to the back post that Hasan
Kabze nodded back for Cristian Noboa to head into the net.
Rubin quickly charged forward looking to add to their lead but Alexandr
Bukharov's high probability chance was effort stopped by Wolfsburg's goalkeeper
Marwin Hitz and after a number of chances came up empty, the hosts went
to the break holding the one-goal advantage.
After the re-start, the match continued at a quick pace though touches
in the final third was lacking. Alexandr Bukharov was unable to convert
on two quality chances before the momentum shifted decidedly in Wolfsburg's
favour.
At the sixty-seventh minute, from the left side of the box, Edin Dzeko
provided the ball to Zvjezdan Misimovic, who subsequently sent a dipping
effort to the opposite corner of the net to bring the match level with
the all-important 'away goal'.
With a quarter-hour left in regulation time Zvjezdan Misimovic came close
to lodging the winner for Wolfsburg as rasped the ball off the woodwork
but without further incident the match concluded as a 1-1 draw, honours
even.
Prepared by John Davies
Sport
Express Daily, 12 March 2010
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