FC Krasnodar posted a crucial 3-2 win in the Russian Premiership’s Southern derby with Kuban Krasnodar on Saturday as the league’s battle for second spot intensified.

FC Krasnodar, unbeaten in their last 12 Premiership matches, moved up onto 47 points from 23 games to secure second, seven points behind Zenit St Petersburg, who will try to consolidate their lead against Rubin Kazan on Sunday.

Reigning champions CSKA Moscow, who face bottom-placed Amkar Perm also on Sunday, sit third on 43 points.

“It was a true derby, a very intriguing match,” FC Krasnodar manager Oleg Kononov said.

“I’m very happy with the result and my team’s performance today. We keep on moving forward.”

Anton Sosnin put Kuban into the lead just before the half-hour mark when he fired the ball precisely into the top left-handed corner with a 35-metre screamer.

FC Krasnodar pulled level in the 37th minute as their Brazilian forward Ari helped the ball on to Uguruayan midfielder Mauricio Pereyra in the area and he sidefooted the ball into the corner past Kuban ‘keeper Alexander Belenov.

Midfielder Vladislav Ignatiev gave Kuban a 2-1 lead in the 54th minute sending the ball home from the edge of the box but Russia’s national team skipper Roman Shirokov beat Belenov with a sharp-angled shot to level at 2-2 just five minutes later.

In the 79th minute Shirokov found unmarked Vitaly Kaleshin in the area and he kept his cool to score FC Krasnodar’s winner hammering the ball into the corner from 10 metres out.