Zenit striding towards Russian finish line

With nine Premier-Liga games remaining, André Villas-Boas is doing his best to talk down FC Zenit's title chances, a 2-1 defeat of second-placed PFC CSKA Moskva on Sunday having left his side eight points clear at the summit.

A fifth domestic title looks to be on the cards after Hulk struck twice against the Army Men, but Villas-Boas is not getting too carried away. "We deserved to win, but we are not champions yet," he said. "An eight-point advantage is not that big in this league. The Russian championship is very competitive, very tight. We cannot let ourselves relax because I don't think CSKA have given up their gold-medal dream. We have to keep thinking about them just the same."

CSKA sold their best striker, Seydou Doumbia, to AS Roma in January and their playmaker Alan Dzagoev was injured while on international duty, but extenuating circumstances did little to soften the blow of defeat in what was probably the most important match of their season. "It's a pity it was us who made the first mistake," said CSKA coach Leonid Slutski. "Zenit are a long way ahead of us. Our target is to do as well as we can in the nine games that remain."

It was not all good news for Zenit: Ezequiel Garay and Aleksandr Ryazantsev were taken off with minor injuries and may not be available to face FC Terek Grozny on Wednesday, but there were plenty of positives for Hulk, now out on his own with 11 goals at the top of the league's scorers' charts.

"Luís Neto and Igor Smolnikov came to me on the morning of the game and told me I would score twice," the Brazilian smiled. "But a win for the team is what matters. We know how to get results. We understand what we are striving for."

Zenit midfielder Oleg Shatov found fault in the performance – "we were far from our best" – and his side have good reason for caution, having let things slip in the closing stages last season. However, as they prepare for their UEFA Europa League quarter-final meeting with Sevilla FC, they have earned themselves breathing space. "With an eight-point lead and nine matches to go, it is in our hands," Axel Witsel said. "The title has to be ours. We all deserve it – the team, the city, the fans, the coaches – and we will get it."

Sides who have won their domestic title and the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League in the same season:
Liverpool FC (1973, 1976)
IFK Göteborg (1982, 1987)
FC Porto (2003, 2011)
Feyenoord (1974)
VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach (1975)
Juventus (1977)
PSV Eindhoven (1978)
Real Madrid CF (1986)
Galatasaray AŞ (2000)
Valencia CF (2004)
PFC CSKA Moskva (2005)
FC Zenit (2008)

André Villas-Boas led Porto to the UEFA Europa League title in 2010/11©Getty Images