Dynamo cruise to 3-0 win over Rubin

Moscow, Dec 1 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Dynamo Moscow cruised to a 3-0 win over Rubin Kazan Saturday in a Russian Premier League football game played behind closed doors.

Supporters were banned from Arena Khimki following an incident in which Dynamo goalkeeper Anton Shunin was injured by a flare thrown from the stands earlier this month.

A fourth-straight win lifts Dan Petrescu’s side one place to ninth in the table.

The Romanian coach is overseeing a considerable revival of fortunes for the Muscovites, who suffered their worst-ever start to a season this term.

Midfielder Artur Yusupov opened the scoring on 21 minutes, heading home after an excellent layoff from young winger Ivan Solovev.

Hungarian winger Balazs Dzsudzsak put Dynamo two up just nine minutes later, lashing into the corner from 18 yards for his fourth of the season.

Ex-Germany international Kevin Kuranyi put a gloss on the scoreline on 75 minutes when he smashed the ball over the head of Rubin stopper Sergei Ryzhikov and into the roof of the net.

Dynamo had in-form striker Alexander Kokorin and Australian right-back Luke Wilkshire missing through injury. Shunin was also out with eye burns.

Former Chelsea fullback Petrescu joined Dynamo from FC Kuban in August, when the club were rock bottom of the league after four defeats and no goals scored.

Since then, he has racked up eight wins in 13 games, a win percentage that eclipses that of champions Zenit St. Petersburg over the course of last season.

For his opposite number Kurban Berdyev, it was a first defeat in six games. Rubin, the 2008 and 2009 champions, had overcome patchy early-season form to win five straight. They remain sixth on 31 points, nine short of CSKA Moscow’s lead.

—IANS/RIA Novosti

sr/mr

IANS 2012-12-01 18:38:08