Dynamo Moscow Beats Hiddink's Anzhi

Sometimes, fairy tales come true on the football pitch. Two years without beating Anzhi Makhachkala and an entire season without earning a penalty in the Premier League came to an end in added time as Andriy Voronin scored from the spot to give Dynamo Moscow 3 points over Guus Hiddink's star-studded roster. Despite a home field advantage and better statistics, the game was anything but easy for the Moscovites. The first half was a sluggish back-and-forth between both sides, with Anzhi holding onto the ball and occasionally creeping up to the net. Hiddink's men showed their technical prowess when it came to controlling the midfield, but couldn't make it past Dynamo's defense of steel; the guests could barely get a shot on goal. While Dynamo certainly had their share of chances, many went flying wide or were intercepted early. Fedor Smolov only showed why Anzhi did not buy him after his loan - the striker lacked an accurate touch on the ball and wasted some easy goal-scoring options in front of the net. The Moscovites' second striker, 20-year-old Pavel Solomatin, opened the score with a finish from close range after Artur Yusupov found ample space to center the ball.

A 1-goal deficit certainly brought much frustration to the guests. Anzhi began to play a more attacking game in the second half. The abcense of striker Lacina Traore could not be overlooked, however - Willian and Eto'O did not cause as much trouble for the Moscovites as they normally do. Yet the team that keeps on pushing forward is usually the team that takes back the initiative, and Hiddink's side eventually found their late - albeit effective - equalizer. As Dynamo manager Dan Petrescu mentioned after the game, Anzhi are quite dangerous on set pieces. Christopher Samba headed the ball in past Anton Shunin after a corner kick. It was a late one, and when the clock is ticking, one could easily say the scoreboard will remain unaltered. It's important to remember that even at the 90th minute, the game is far from over. In the 3rd and last minute of added time, Marko Lomic attempted to cross the ball in the box, but his shot went straight into the arm of the subbed-in Carcela-Gonzalez. The referee did not hesitate to point to the spot. All hell broke loose: An emotional Samuel Eto'O earned himself a booking for dissent. Anzhi goalkeeper Vladimir Gabulov argued over which ball he preferred the opposition take the penalty with. Anzhi manager Guus Hiddink probably did not anticipate such a dramatic ending to a rather tame match. Who could have? Certainly not Dan Petrescu, who looked like he had just won a Cup final with Chelsea in his playing days, or the hordes of supporters at Arena Khimki who had so anxiously waited to see their team succeed. Dynamo's new club President, Boris Rotenberg, watched from the stands as the Moscovites remained unbeaten for a second game in a row, while Anzhi made do without any points in the second matchweek of the Russian Premier League.

2013/14 Russian Premier League: Matchweek 2
Friday, July 19, 2013, 12:00PM ET

Dynamo Moscow vs Anzhi Makhachkala - 2:1 (1:0)
Venue: Arena Khimki (Moscow)
Referee: Sergei Karasev (Moscow)
Goals:
1:0 Pavel Solomatin (Asst. Artur Yusupov) (26')
1:1 Christopher Samba (84')
2:1 Andriy Voronin (90+3') (PK)