The first shocking result Sunday came at the hands of Latvian champion Skonto Riga, which shut out Dinamo Minsk, No. 1 seed in Group 2, 6-0 at Dinamo indoor stadium.
Then, less than an hour later, Georgian champion Dinamo Tbilisi beat the Russian National Olympic team 4-2 in Group 3 play at CSKA arena.
In other major games, tournament favorite Spartak Moscow had no trouble trouncing Sitora of Tajikistan 4-0 in Group 1, and Shakhter Donetsk edged Shirak of Armenia 2-1 in Group 4.
The organizers of the third annual Commonwealth Cup -- a 16-team competition -- seeded Spartak Moscow, Dinamo Minsk, Dinamo Tbilisi and Ukrainian representative Shakhter Donetsk each as No. 1 in the four groups.
Most surprising was that Minsk was not able to create any scoring chances. Prior to the tournament, the Belarussian entry was considered a much stronger club -- although the Riga team was not a pushover, having beaten Aberdeen before being edged out by Naples in the UEFA Cup.
The Group 3 encounter of Dinamo Tbilisi and the Russian Olympic team was one of the key games during the first day of competition.
Although the Russians were missing forwards Igor Simutenkov, who has already made a name for himself in the top Italian league, and Alexander Beshchastnykh of Verder, Germany, the team -- an unofficial entry in this tournament -- was thought to be superior to the less experienced Tbilisi squad.
The Olympic team, which has already started its qualifying soccer matches, is hoping to earn a berth for the Summer Games in Atlanta in 1996.
The fans at CSKA stadium were able to see one team member, goalie Ruslan Nigmatullin, 18, for the first time in an Olympic uniform. Nigmatullin has just been sold by KAMAZ of Naberezhny Chelny to Spartak Moscow for more than $150,000 -- the biggest transfer fee ever paid for an 18-year-old in Russia.
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