Dynamo hold champions Spartak

MOSCOW: Spartak Moscow began the defence of their Russian league title with an underwhelming 2-2 draw against promoted city rivals Dynamo on Tuesday.

Spartak were firmly in control at the break after goals from Dutch midfielder Quincy Promes and Brazilian striker Luiz Adriano.But midfielders Kirill Panchenko and Alexander Tashayev in stoppage time scored for Dynamo in the second half to grab a share of the points.

In the 29th minute, Promes put Spartak ahead, sending the ball into the net with a six-yard header off a left-wing cross by Lorenzo Melgarejo.Three minutes later, Adriano narrowly escaped the offside trap to receive a razor-sharp pass by Promes at the edge of the area and hammered it in past helpless Dynamo ‘keeper Anton Shunin.

But Dynamo refused to surrender and nine minutes after the interval, Panchenko pulled one back with a low shot from 22 yards out. Tashayev equalized in the second minute of injury time sweeping the ball home off a right-handed cross by Brazilian Francisco Wanderson.

In Tuesday’s other encounter, two-time former champions Lokomotiv Moscow won their season-opening encounter with Arsenal Tula 1-0 courtesy of a goal by Georgian back Solomon Kverkvelia.