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Six in a row Spartak Moscow clinches Russian title
Updated: Saturday October 27, 2001 1:05 PM
MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Spartak Moscow clinched its sixth consecutive Russian premier league title on Saturday, defeating second-placed Zenit St Petersburg 3-1 to salvage a disappointing season marred by an early Champions League exit. The win gave Spartak an unassailable 59 points from 28 matches, six ahead of Zenit which has played one more game than its title rival which has two left. Zenit had rocked Spartak with a goal in the second minute when the home side failed to cut out a cross from the goal line. Andrei Arshavin turned neatly in the box to fire Zenith ahead. Spartak almost hit back two minutes later when Brazilian Luis Robson had a header blocked on the line by Zenit's goalkeeper and hacked away by the defence. The perennial Russian champion had to wait until the 26th minute for an equalizer, Russian international Yegor Titov rounding off a swift counter-attack launched from inside Spartak's own six yard box. Three minutes later Spartak were ahead. Vassily Baranov collected the ball after Zenit headed away from a corner, but with the defence and keeper expecting a cross, Baranov struck a fierce drive which sneaked inside the left-hand upright. Dmitry Parfenov virtually wrapped up the game in the 56th minute when he converted a penalty awarded after a Spartak player was fouled during a goalmouth scramble. The two sides traded chances in the remainder of the second half, but Spartak finished the stronger and never looked like losing their lead. The victory means Spartak will return to the Champions League next season, where it will hope to improve on this year's performance. The Moscovites lie bottom of their group with just two points from five games, though they could yet achieve some consolation in Europe by beating Dutch side Feyenoord in the last Group H fixture on October 31 to secure a UEFA Cup berth.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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