Rubin from Kazan were regarded as outsiders before the match in the
second round of the UEFA Champions League. No one believed that
Barcelona couldn't outplay the Russian champions, moreover Alejandro
Dominguez, Sergey Semak and Alexandr Bukharov have left Rubin, where
they played main roles. Barcelona dominated the pitch and attacked
vigorously. The Rubin players created a stern defense and luckily
escaped several goals going in their net. One of Kazan's
counterattacks resulted in penalty. Noboa converted the ensuing
penalty. In the second half a similar situation occured: Barcelona
were awarded a penalty, just like Rubin in the first half. Villa
scored to tie the match 1:1. The score draw was acceptable for
Barcelona, as it has no problems with the play-off, while Rubin could
have an outside chance of leaving the group after its defeat in
Copenhagen. The Danish team beat Panathinaikos 2:0 and leads the
standings in Group D .
by Georgy Saralidze
