Dinamo glad after final reckoning

FC Rubin Kazan's shock title success was the big story in Russia in 2008, but FC Dinamo Moskva midfielder Igor Semshov was no less impressed with his side's achievement in finishing third.

Dinamo achievement
The top two in Russia, Rubin and PFC CSKA Moskva, go straight into the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League group stage, while third spot sealed Dinamo a place in the second qualifying round of the same competition, no small achievement given that they sold star playmaker Danny to FC Zenit St. Petersburg in mid-season. Russia star Semshov is also expected to move to the Petrovsky Stadium in the winter, but would leave on a high. "I rate this season as a great one," he said of his side's first top-three finish in eleven years. "We took the bronze while playing well from the first match to the last."

Sour season
Though the achievements of Kurban Berdyev's Rubin make Dinamo's seem relatively modest, perhaps the successes of both clubs are also a reflection of a sour season for the traditional powers of the Premier-Liga. CSKA were the least disappointed of the big guns, but holding midfielder Evgeni Aldonin felt second place was nothing worth celebrating. "We have reached our minimal goal of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League group stage, but silver medals are an underachievement for us. CSKA play to win in every competition."

European consolation
However, compared to local rivals FC Lokomotiv Moskva and FC Spartak Moskva, not to mention 2008 champions Zenit, Valeri Gazzaev's men had a great campaign. Dick Advocaat's side salvaged something on the last day of the campaign, earning a fifth-placed finish and a slot in the new UEFA Europa League next year. There was no such consolation prize for last season's runners-up Spartak, who finished eighth after a year beset by internal wrangling, or seventh-placed Loko, who according to midfielder Dmitri Torbinski simply "did not have a very good season".

Samara battlers
Spartak and Lokomotiv could yet salvage something by winning the Russian Cup, as they look ahead to the quarter-finals in the spring, but in the event that the final is contested by any combination of Rubin, Dinamo or CSKA, FC Krylya Sovetov Samara could receive a late European bonus. Leonid Slutski's side finished sixth with goalkeeper Eduardo Lobos telling uefa.com: "Not many believed in us, since we finished in the bottom half of the table in the last three seasons and made so many changes in the summer, but I think we can fight for medals next year."

Ups and downs
Fourth-placed FC Amkar Perm eclipsed even Krylya Sovetov, earning a UEFA Europa League place under Montenegrin coach Miodrag Božović, while at the bottom end of the table, financial troubles propelled FC Shinnik Yaroslavl and FC Luch-Energia Vladivostok toward relegation. FC Rostov and FC Kuban Krasnodar will take their places for the 2009 campaigns.

Blokhin out
Oleh Blokhin, meanwhile, has stepped down as coach of FC Moskva. Blokhin joined the club last December on a three-year contract, but has paid the price for finishing ninth, outside the European places. "A coaching life is full of such events, but I don't think ninth place was a bad result," Blokhin said.