Holders Rubin dumped out of Russian Cup by minnows

Moscow: Holders Rubin Kazan were dumped out of the Russian Cup Wednesday after a shock 1-2 defeat at the hands of second-tier side Yenisey Krasnoyarsk.

The Siberians, cheered on by the home crowd, were 2-0 up inside half an hour on goals from Rais Sitdikov and Alexei Nikitin. Rubin rallied in the second half, but could only manage a stoppage-time consolation thanks to a Sergei Davydov`s powerful header. In the round of 16, Yenisey will face SKA-Energiya Khabarovsk, who also upset Premier League opposition in Amkar Perm 2-1 Tuesday. Also Tuesday, Zenit St. Petersburg clinched their place in the round of 16 as they beat Baltika Kaliningrad on the road 2-1. Zenit were without nine players for the game, with Igor Denisov and Alexander Kerzhakov sent to the reserve squad and the other seven injured or rested. Zenit`s 40 million euro signing Hulk opened the scoring on 13 minutes, pouncing on a rebound from Alexei Yevseyev`s 20-yard shot. For Zenit`s second, it was Hulk again serving up a corner kick to Bruno Alves, who headed the ball home in the 71st minute. Baltika got consolation three minutes later, when Maxim Plopa scored a header from a corner as Zenit goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev slipped. IANS