Russian league leaders CSKA Moscow bounced back from their Champions

League opening Group B defeat when they defeated 10-man Dutch champions

PSV Eindhoven 3-2 at home on Wednesday.

A strike from Nigerian forward Ahmed Musa and a brace by Ivory Coast

sharp-shooter Seydou Doumbia set CSKA on their way to a narrow victory

that put them equal on three points with the other three teams in their

group.

Manchester United came back to defeat Wolfsburg 2-1 at Old Trafford as home sides have now won the first four pool matches. 

Belgian Maxime Lestienne was twice on target for PSV but it wasn’t enough for the visitors.

“We played well in the first half. Maybe we earned the lead a little too easy,” said CSKA coach Leonid Slutsky.

“But in the second half everything went a bit astray and we had a nervous ending due to our own slackness.

“Of course I’m happy with the result but there’s also a certain

displeasure because of our poor performance in the second period.”

CSKA, who needed to win to keep alive their chances of qualifying for

the knockout phase, a feat they haven’t achieved since 2011-12, got off

to a lively start as Musa put them 1-0 up after seven minutes, firing

the ball home off a well-served corner from former Manchester United

midfielder Zoran Tosic.

In the 21st minute Doumbia made it 2-0 for the Red Army side when he

met a pinpoint cross by Mario Fernandes from the right and his 10-metre

header went under the crossbar past the outstretched hands of PSV

‘keeper Jeroen Zoet.

Fifteen minutes later CSKA were awarded a penalty after Zoet brought

down Tosic in the area and Doumbia netted his second of the match

sending the visiting ‘keeper the wrong way from the spot.

Doumbia missed a chance to score his third a minute before the break,

when Santiago Arias fouled Musa in the box, but his second spot-kick

went inches over the crossbar.

After the interval the 1988 European champions picked up steam and in

the 53rd minute Luciano Narsingh forced CSKA ‘keeper Igor Akinfeyev

into a diving save with a shot from 12 metres.

Seven minutes later Adam Maher, who narrowly avoided straying

offside, sent the ball across the goalmouth for Lestienne and he reduced

the arrears tapping it into the unguarded corner.

In the 68th minute Narsingh found the unmarked Lestienne at the edge

of the area and the Belgian midfielder hammered the ball into the top

right-hand corner.

PSV poured forward in attack seeking the equaliser, but their hopes

went up in smoke with 10 minutes to go, when Arias was sent off for a

second bookable offence. 

CSKA who have suffered 1-0 defeats in both their previous home

meetings with Dutch sides in the European Cups, were able to protect

their advantage and chalked up their first points of the group phase.

“We failed to show our normal football before the break as we missed

some of our first-line players through injuries,” PSV manager Phillip

Cocu said.

“But in the second half we managed to completely turn things around. We had many chances to level but missed too many of them.

“But I thanked my players for their play and the performance after the break.”