23 November 2009 / TODAY’S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
Rubin Kazan, with Turkish midfielder Gökdeniz Karadeniz in the line-up, held Zenit St. Petersburg to a 0-0 draw to seal their second consecutive Russian Premier League title on Saturday.
Gökdeniz played for 80 minutes before being replaced by another Turkish star Hasan Kabze. The scoreless stalemate in Kazan gave Rubin 60 points and an insurmountable five-point lead over second-placed Spartak Moscow with one game remaining. “This title means much more for us than the first,” Rubin captain Sergei Semak told reporters. ”We had to fight probably three times harder than last year. This time our main rivals were chasing us to the very end,” added Russian international Semak in reference to last year’s crown that was won with three games to spare. “We also had to prove that last year’s win was no fluke. We showed a great team spirit and comradeship.” Rubin had little time to celebrate its triumph as they host Ukrainian champions Dynamo Kiev in a Champions League Group F clash on Tuesday.
