Powerhouse Barcelona and Russia’s Rubin Kazan drew 1-1 in the UEFA Champions League Wednesday in a clash that proved to be a tale of two penalties at the Ortalyk Tsentralnyi Stadium.
It was another impressive result against Spanish opposition for Rubin, the Russian champion, which managed to beat Barca at the same stage of Europe’s premier club competition last year with a 2-1 triumph at the Camp Nou.
Rubin’s counter-attacking display paid dividends in the first-half as Christian Noboa scored from the spot after 30 minutes.
Barca left star striker Lionel Messi on the bench for the clash but dominated the play. Its equalizer also came via a penalty when David Villa sneaked a 60th-minute strike past the brilliant Sergei Ryzhikov in Rubin’s goal.
The point meant Pep Guardiola’s team topped Group D with four points from its two games, but Denmark’s FC Copenhagen has the chance to leapfrog the Spaniards when it takes on Greek outfit Panathinaikos later Wednesday.
