Rubin Kazan lost 1-0 to Odense on Monday in Leonid Slutskiy’s first defeat at the helm. The Danish side scored the only goal of the game just before the half-hour mark.

Aside from Darko Jevtic’s first-minute blocked effort, Rubin were largely reduced to harmless long-range efforts from Zuriko Davitashvili, Kvicha Kvaratskhelia and Denis Makarov after the break. The breakthrough came when Issam Jebali’s firm shot squirmed under Yuriy Dyupin’s dive on 29 minutes.

A number of Rubin players were injured or rested as precautionary measures according to Slutskiy. Ivan Ignatyev and Igor Konovalov will be ready for their next match, and like them Vladimir Granat was not risked having been out injured all season.

Filip Uremovic and Danil Stepanov are still recovering from their own fitness issues while Silvije Begic - who still hasn’t made his Rubin debut since signing from Orenburg last summer - is unlikely to feature before the season restarts.

On a more positive note on-loan Brazilian centre-back Pablo Santos made his first appearance, playing the entire match. “He won all his aerial challenges, is very fast and unyielding,” Slutskiy told Rubin’s press service after the game.

“He is a defender of the word "defend". I think Uremovich-Santos will be the fastest pair of Central defenders in the RPL.”

Rubin will take on Vojvodina in their next friendly on Thursday 6 February.

Rubin 0-1 Odense
3 February, Belek, Turkey
Goal: Jebali 29’

Rubin: Dyupin, Poyarkov (Zakirov 46’), Santos, Starfeldt, Danchenko, Tarasov (Bashkirov 46’), Zuev (Mogilivets 46’), Kvaratskhelia, Jevtic (Davitashvili 46’), Bakaev (Makarov 46’), Markov