A brace from midfielder Rasim Tagirbekov saved 10-man Anzhi from defeat in a dramatic Russian Premier League clash with FC Rostov on Sunday.

A second bookable offence for Brazilian midfielder Jucilei reduced Anzhi to ten men before the half-hour mark, but that did not stop Tagirbekov opening the scoring with a long-range shot from a free-kick on 49 minutes.

Rostov striker Dmitri Kirichenko equalized from the spot on 72 minutes after after handball was awarded against former Chelsea wing-back Yuri Zhirkov in the Anzhi penalty area.

Rostov thought they had won the game on 89 minutes when Jan Holenda, a new signing from Anzhi, headed in from a corner against his old club.

Tagirbekov gave Anzhi their equalizer deep into stoppage time with a header of his own off a flick from former Blackburn Rovers defender Christopher Samba.

There was a moment of concern for Anzhi when Ivorian striker Lacina Traore, a new signing, was taken off injured at the end of the first half.

He had earlier missed two good chances to score, missing a one-on-one opportunity with Rostov goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa before later firing wide on the rebound from his own shot.

Earlier, Bibras Natkho scored twice as Rubin Kazan inflicted a 2-0 defeat on Alania Vladikavkaz and a controversial stoppage-time penalty decision handed Spartak Moscow a 2-1 victory over FC Volga .

In Saturday’s action, reigning champions Zenit St. Petersburg ensured they stayed at the top of the table with a 2-0 win over Dynamo Moscow, while Amkar Perm stunned CSKA Moscow 3-1 and Lokomotiv Moscow beat Krylya Sovetov 2-0.

Dan Petrescu’s FC Kuban beat Mordovia Saransk 1-0 on Friday.