Shakhtar Donetsk defeat Illichivets Mariupol 2-0

Though the Ukrainian Premier League campaign is only two weeks old and given the power base of Dinamo Kiev, Shakhtar Donetsk cannot afford even the slightest of slip-ups. Mircea Lucescu did precisely that, albeit less commanding than their Kiev rivals, with an efficient 2-0 victory over Illichivets Mariupol.

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Dinamo Kiev defeats Tavriya Simferopol 6-0

Following their opening week 5-0 domination over Chornomorets Odesa, the Valery Gazzayev led of Dinamo Kiev steamrolled Tavriya Simferopol 6-0 at Lobanovsky Stadium. The victory further demonstrates the vast difference with Dinamo and Shakhtar with the balance of the Ukrainian league as both sides are head and shoulders above all others.

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Zenit plays Rubin Kazan to draw

At the end of each campaign, clubs will turn a glancing eye back on the battles and review the missed opportunities with wonder if this was a turning point that was missed.

Nestled five points out of the top spot as the Rosgosstrakh Championship of Russia, Zenit Saint Petersburg cast aside a delicious opportunity to climb back into the battle for the top spot as they played Rubin Kazan to an unsatisfying nil draw at Petrovsky Stadium.

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Moskva derby between Lokomotiv and Dinamo ends in draw

With Moskva bathed in derby weekend, Saturday’s Footballing crowd turned its attention to Lokomotiv versus Dinamo. With Dinamo only three points off the Rosgosstrakh Championship of Russia’s top spot the rivalry possessed an added slice of intensity for Andrey Kobelev’s side.

Shadowing the match was a sense of uneasiness around Lokomotiv. Since the much talked about return of Yuri Semin from Dinamo Kiev, the club has stumbled through three

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Khimki defeats Amkar Perm

Match day fifteen of Rosgosstrakh Championship of Russia started with lower table battle between relegation threatened Khimki and visiting Amkar Perm.

For Dimitar Dimitrov’s side from Perm, last years noble fourth place finish that earned them a playoff round spot in the Europa League is a barely a faint memory. Mired in a dreadful slump during the opening half of the campaign hopes of a similar finish are long

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Steaua Bucureşti advance in Europa League

Cristiano Bergodi extended his winning record as manager of Steaua Bucureşti as his side defeated Újpest in the second leg of their Europa League tie.

After winning the opening leg 2-0 it was very clear that the Roş-albaştrii were going to control the match with patient tactical styling the new manager prefers. Ensuring they were never exposed at the back, the Romanian side established a patient run of play

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Crvena Zvezda defeats Rudar Velenje 4-0

Legendary Serbian side Crvena Zvezda continued their extraordinary play under new manager Vladimir Petrović with a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Rudar Velenje in the second qualifying round of the Europa League.

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Dinamo Tbilisi defeat Liepājas Metalurgs in Europa League

With their backs against the wall after losing the opening leg of their Europa League second qualifying round match 2-1, Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgia) storm back to defeated Liepājas Metalurgs (Latvia) 3-1. With the victory the Georgian side will move to the next stage of the tournament against Crvena Zvezda (Serbia) or Rudar Velenje (Slovenia).

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Dinamo Zagreb defeats FC Pyunik in Europa League

After playing Dinamo Zagreb to a scorless draw in Yerevan, Armenian Premier League champions FC Pyunik lost 3-0 in the second leg of the tie at Maksimir Stadium. With the result the Croatian powerhouse will now face FC Salzburg in the next stage of the Champions League.

Vardan Minasyan’s visiting side came out with notable intention but following a number of chances falling for naught, the hosts began to push forward, led by their bounty of

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CSKA Moskva play Rubin Kazan to scoreless draw

CSKA Moskva missed a glorious chance to close the gap on Rubin Kazan in the race for the Rosgosstrakh Championship of Russia as they played Spartak Nalchik to a disappointing nil draw at Luzhniki Stadium.

Heading into a comfortable mid summer night match in Moscow, the Army-Men were primed with the knowledge that a win against relegation threatened Spartak Nalchik would push them to within a single point of Rubin Kazan. However as their disappointing season of peaks and valleys would attest, once again Zico’s side came up a morsel short

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Belarusian international Sergei Kornilenko moves to Zenit

Twenty-six year old Belarusian international Sergei Kornilenko as agreed to a transfer from Tom Tomsk. Having a brilliant start to the campaign with six goals in ten matches, the striker will join Dick Advocaat’s side on 1 August when the transfer window opens.

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Spartak Moskva play Krylia Sovetov to 1-1 draw

Spartak Moskva missed a glorious chance to climb within a single point of Rubin Kazan in the chase for the Russian championship as it played Krylia Sovetov to a 1-1 draw at Luzhniki Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The result was a fortunate one for Valery Karpin’s side as they were unable to break through their curmudgeonly defending of their guests until Vladimir Bystrov heroics with three minutes remaining.

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Shakhtar Donetsk starts campaign off right

The hunt for the Ukrainian champions started from the get-go as UEFA Cup Champions Shakhtar Donetsk started their campaign with a solid 3-0 victory over Kryvbas Kryvy Rih.

After an early scoring chance was thwarted, Mircea Lucescu’s side took the lead at the nineteenth minute when Jádson struck a perfectly free-kick from outside of the area over the wall and into the top left corner of the net. Four minutes past the half-hour

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CSKA Moskva defeats Rubin Kazan

With their collective backs against the wall and the campaign seemingly adrift, CSKA Moskva fought back for a much needed 2-1 win over defending champions Rubin Kazan. For the Zico-led Army-Men the win was paramount to the day as their season has been rife with disappointment and a loss would have choked out any chance of claiming the title.

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Genoa revamps lineup

After finishing fifth in Serie A Genoa has went through a radical re-working of its lineup. Staring down a spot in the Europa League playoff round Club president Enrico Preziosi has worked hard to compensate for the losses of Diego Milito and Thiago Motta to Inter Milan as well the anticipated departure of Matteo Ferrari to Turkish side Besiktas. While few will suggest that the Rossoblù can replace the loss of Il Principe and many will question the behind the scenes rationale for the move, Mr. Preziosi has insisted there are many more “perle sul piatto”.

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