Moscow "Spartak" beat "Saturn" near Moscow in the match of the 14th round of the national football championship. The red-whites played their first match under the leadership of new head coach Stanislav Cherchesov and achieved a victory with a score of 2:0. After this game, “Spartak” single-handedly topped the championship standings.

The nine-time Russian champions had a noticeable advantage throughout the match, but in the first half they failed to hit the opponents' goal, failing to take advantage of several advantageous chances. In the 41st minute, after a shot by the Czech legionary of Spartak Radoslav Kovac, the ball flew into the Saturn goal, but St. Petersburg referee Nikolai Ivanov canceled the goal, awarding a penalty to the Moscow region team.

The best sniper of the Russian Championship last season, Roman Pavlyuchenko, took the 11-meter shot, but his strong shot into the corner was parried by Saturn and the Czech Republic goalkeeper Antonin Kinski.

In the second half, Spartak played faster and more aggressively, and there were more dangerous moments at the visitors' goal. In the 58th minute the scoring was opened. Dmitry Torbinsky lobbed a free-kick into the Saturn goal area, Radoslav Kovac won the uphill battle and dropped the ball further, and Austrian red-and-white defender Martin Stranzl also headed it into the net.

Ten minutes after this, Saturn was left with ten men. Ghanaian defender Illiasu Shilla deliberately hit his head in the face of Spartak's Fedor Kudryashov and received a red card. Kudryashov, with his face bleeding, left the field with the help of a medical team.

Spartak continued to have the advantage and created several more dangerous moments. Pavlyuchenko, after a cross from Denis Boyarintsev, headed the ball from about eight meters, but the ball hit the post. Already in stoppage time, Stanislav Cherchesov's team scored the second goal. Egor Titov brought Denis Boyarintsev to the Saturn goal, but the midfielder did not shoot, but made a pass to Pavlyuchenko, who was in a more advantageous position, and the forward sent the ball into the net from close range.

Spartak scored 23 points and came out on top. CSKA . and Zenit have 21 points each and one game in hand Moscow has 20 points and two games less than the leader.

“Spartak” won the first match under the leadership of Cherchesov