Dynamo Beat Rubin, Lose Diakhate

By: Yevy | February 7th, 2009

Oleksandr Aliyev came off the bench in the second half and scored with ten minutes to play to give Dynamo a 1-0 victory over Russian champions Rubin Kazan. The midfielder’s diagonal shot from the top of the box beat goalkeeper Sergei Ryzhikov. The victory came at a price, as influential defender Pape Diakhate had to be substituted with what appeared to be a serious injury. However manager Yuri Semin remained optimistic. Without disclosing any details, the Dynamo boss said that he would not rule Diakhate out of the upcoming UEFA Cup clash with Valencia:

This was a benchmark match for Rubin as well as our squad. Both teams performed well defensively, and while there weren’t many chances the intensity of the encounter was felt throughout. This is what led to the occasional rough play. Diakhate got hurt in a situation that should not be considered intentional foul play. As to the seriousness of his injury, I would not exclude the possibility of him regained fitness and taking part in the (Valencia) match on February 18.

Former Dynamo great Serhiy Rebrov and Ghanaian captain Stephen Appiah started the match for Rubin. The pair was substituted in the second half, but not before Appiah picked up a booking for a challenge on Ognjen Vukojevic. For Dynamo, newcomer Serhiy Kravchenko put in a solid 90 minute shift. Several times the midfielder came close to scoring on shots from distance, forcing Ryzhikov to turn the ball away for corner kicks on two occasions and hitting the crossbar on another attempt.

Dynamo 1 – 0 Rubin
Marbella, Spain

Goal: Aliyev (80).

Dynamo: Bohush, Betao, Diakhate (Kravets, 67), Mykhalyk, El Kadduri (Nesmachniy, 68), Vukojevic, Ghioane (Aliyev, 58), Eremenko, Nunkovic (Husyev, 46), Kravchenko, Yarmolenko.

Rubin: Ryzhikov, Ansaldi (Khagush, 46), Sharonov(Popov, 46), Orekhov, Tomas (Sibaya, 63), Noboa, Appiah (Gorbanetz, 63), Rebrov (Gitselov, 75), Bystrov (Kukharchuk, 63), Karadeniz (Portnyagin, 63), Adamov (Bukharov, 58).

Bookings: Eremenko (21) – Appiah (55).