Kuban deals blow to CSKA title hopes in 1-1 draw

A debut goal from FC Kuban striker Anton Sekret dealt a severe blow to CSKA Moscow’s hopes of lifting the Russian Premier League trophy with a 1-1 draw Saturday. With seven games left, the result leaves CSKA six points behind leaders Zenit St. Petersburg, who play Spartak Moscow later Saturday. The 20-year-old Sekret, in his first competitive appearance for Kuban, exploited space behind the CSKA defense to lash in from close range with an 88th-minute equalizer. CSKA’s top scorer Seydou Doumbia had put the visitors ahead, taking his Russian Premier League tally to 27 when he nodded in Zoran Tosic’s curling free kick on 71 minutes. “We were better in terms of the number of chances, but unfortunately we didn’t score,” Slutsky said. Kuban started brightly, when Gheorghe Bucur blazed the ball over the bar on seven minutes, and saw a goal disallowed for offside three minutes later. CSKA’s first chance came when Sekou Oliseh set up Zoran Tosic on 18 minutes, but his shot was blocked. Kuban top scorer Lacina Traore almost connected with a dangerous Vladislav Kulik cross on 23 minutes, and CSKA could have taken the lead shortly before half time when they won a free-kick in a dangerous position, only for Tosic to strike the ball into the Kuban wall. Kuban had plenty of chances early in the second half, with efforts from Kulik and Traore, who first sliced wide when in space in the box, then missed a second dangerous cross. Kuban goalkeeper Alexander Belenov pulled off a double save on 67 minutes to deny first Tomas Necid, then Doumbia. Four minutes later, Doumbia gave CSKA the lead when his header appeared to take a deflection off a Kuban defender before flying past Belenov. Sekret leveled the game after Kuban pushed forward in search of an equalizer. The CSKA defense appealed for offside, but the referee waved away their appeals.