Rubin Kazan won the season-opening Russian Super Cup on Saturday, beating league winners Zenit St. Petersburg 2-0 on first-half goals from Salvatore Brocchetti and Vladimir Dyadyun.
It was a second Super Cup for the club from Tatarstan, who first took it in 2010 after the second of their back-to-back titles.
Rubin took the lead inside 30 minutes with Salvatore Bocchetti powering into the box and heading Roman Eremenko's cross into the bottom corner.
Striker Vladimir Dyadyun made it two 10 minutes later, beating Nicolas Lombaerts to the near post to steer in Alexander Ryazantsev's low cross.
Holders Zenit, fielding six of Russia's Euro 2012 squad, applied concerted pressure at times but were never able to score.
Roman Shirokov came closest, hitting the side netting in the second half.
Rubin looked the better-rested team, more assured on the ball when they had it.
Eremenko, whose long-range goal brought Rubin a 1-0 win over Dynamo Moscow in the cup final in May, half-volleyed over from a good position inside 10 minutes, spurning the first chance of the game.
Alexander Kerzhakov turned and fired straight at Sergei Ryzhikov in the Rubin goal on 20 minutes after a through ball from Vladimir Bystrov.
Rubin opened the scoring soon after.
Zenit and Portugal defender Bruno Alves beat the onrushing Vladimir Dyadyun to the ball conceding a corner from which and Kurban Berdyev's side went in front.
It was played short to Eremenko, who hung the ball up invitingly for Bocchetti to head home.
The second came on a counterattack with Dyadyun sidefooting across Vyacheslav Malafeev and into the corner.
Neither side created much after that with the half petering out.
The second began with Rubin under early pressure that Zenit couldn't convert while remaining vulnerable at the back.
Rubin winger Gokdeniz Karadeniz headed in but the strike was ruled out for offside.
Roman Shirokov should have pulled one back on 57 minutes, lashing into the side netting from close range after good work down the right from Tomas Hubocan.
Shirokov then broke down the right but fired a low cross past everyone including the unmarked Bystrov.
On 70 minutes Rubin had a clear chance missed by Eremenko, who volleyed Karadeniz's cross just wide from out right.
Zenit substitute Konstantin Zyryanov crossed for fellow sub and former Rubin striker Bukharov to head straight at Ryzhikov from the penalty spot.
Bukharkov then messed up an attempted overhead kick moments later as Zenit ratcheted up the pressure.
As the clock ticked down, Rubin left-back Cristian Ansaldi skipped past Igor Denisov in the Zenit area and hit hard and straight, only for Malafeev to palm over.
Shirokov scuffed his team's last chance wide after darting past substitute and new Rubin signing Ivan Marcano.
The Russian Premier League starts July 20. Zenit first face Amkar Perm on July 22, with Rubin traveling to Krasnodar a day later.
