Dynamo Kyiv face an extremely difficult task at the Tsentralnyi stadium in Kazan in a week's time after losing 0-2 to Rubin at home on Tuesday in the Champions League third qualifying round first leg.
The team from Tatarstan made the most of their limited opportunities in Kyiv. Alan Kasaev gave the visitors a surprise lead six minutes after the starting whistle, racing onto Noboa’s through pass and shooting low into the net.
Yuriy Semin’s men lacked attacking spark after the interval and their occasional threat was not enough to break down opponents’ defence. Meanwhile, in a rare foray into Dynamo territory, Rubin forward Aleksei Medvedev was pulled down by Yevhen Khacheridi in the area and the visitors were awarded a penalty kick. Bebras Natcho made no mistake from the spot to hand his team a 2-0 win.
It's obviously not the outcome Yuriy Semin’s team and Dynamo supporters expected in the first leg. The result means the White-Blues will need to score at least three goals in next week's second-leg in Kazan if they are to have any hope of progressing to the Champions League's next stage. However, nothing is impossible in football. Let’s believe in our team!
2011/2012 UEFA Champions League. Third qualifying round. First leg
DYNAMO – RUBIN – 0:2 (0:1).
Dynamo: 1.Shovkovskyy – cap, 2.Danilo Silva, 5.Vukojević (10.Milevskyy, 55), 9.Yarmolenko, 11.Ideye, 15.Diakhaté, 20.Husyev (36.Ninković, 78), 23.Eremenko (8.Aliyev, 86), 25.Haruna, 30.El Kaddouri, 34.Khacheridi.
Rubin: 1.Ryzhikov, 3.Ansaldi, 10.Kasaev (9.Nemov, 69), 15.Kislyak, 16.Noboa, 25.Dyadyun (26.Medvedev, 60), 27.Bocchetti, 61.Karadeniz, 66.Natcho (63.Dzhalilov, 90+2), 67.Kvirkvelia, 76.Sharonov – cap.
Goals: Kasaev (6), Natcho (68, pen.).
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