Zakharyan caps fine breakthrough season with late winner in see-saw Moscow Derby

Dynamo Moscow 3-2 CSKA Moscow
Sunday 16 May, VTB Arena

Goals: Dynamo - Grulev (65, 72), Zakharyan (89); CSKA - Tiknizyan (18), Evgenyev (OG 76)
Man of the Match: Vyacheslav Grulev (Dynamo)

Nair Tiknizyan volleyed in a powerful close-range finish in the oldest Moscow Derby to give CSKA a slither of hope in the race for Europe. Chidera Ejuke danced and wove his way past a couple of challenges before cutting inside and seeing a shot parried to Tiknizyan.

Within seven second-half minutes, Dynamo had turned the game around through a Vyacheslav Grulev double. The second, with less than 20 minutes remaining, saw him turn his marker Vadim Karpov with ease and angle a perfect finish across Igor Akinfeev into the far bottom corner.

Five minutes later though, Ejuke broke well clear of the defensive line, rounded Igor Leshchuk, and fired a shot across the six yard box. Roman Evgenyev could only divert the ball into his own net sliding in.

In the last minute of normal time, Arsen Zakharyan broke clear, and sent a deflected shot off Konstantin Maradishvili’s foot looping agonisingly over Akinfeev. An absolutely sensational full-stretch diving save from leshchuk denied Ilzat Akhmetov’s curling effort in added time to hold onto the three points.

Dynamo end up in seventh on 50 points, while CSKA miss out on Europe in sixth on 50 points.