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CSKA Advances to Champions League Final

CSKA Moscow's Tomas Necid, center, scoring past Wolfsburg's goalkeeper Diego Benaglio during their Champions League soccer match at Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009. Ivan Sekretarev

Milos Krasic scored a long-range winning goal in CSKA Moscow's 2-1 comeback victory over Wolfsburg in the Champions League on Wednesday to take qualification down to the final round.

The two teams are in joint second place on 7 points in Group B with one game each left to play.

The Serb winger Krasic picked up the ball in central midfield from Yevgeny Aldonin, took a touch and hit a fierce drive from 25 meters past goalkeeper Diego Benaglio in the 66th minute.

Bosnia striker Edin Dzeko scored first for Wolfsburg, receiving a through ball from Obafemi Martins and powering a low shot from six meters into the corner in the 19th minute.

CSKA forward Tomas Necid equalized in the 58th, rising unchallenged to head a cross from Aldonin past Benaglio.

"We had more territory, more chances ... and played a high-quality game," said CSKA coach Leonid Slutsky, adding that his team was disjointed in the first half and "made a few bad decisions in attack."

In the last round on Dec. 8, Wolfsburg hosts group leader Manchester United and CSKA travels to Istanbul to face last-place Besiktas.

Wolfsburg coach Armin Veh said his team "let slip a huge chance to get into the knockout stages."

"Everything was in our hands," he said. "We were too passive."

CSKA dominated much of the first half but was unable to convert any of several chances carved out by the lively Krasic and Alan Dzagoyev, and the hosts looked unsteady at the back when Wolfsburg threatened on occasion.

In an early warning for CSKA, however, Dzeko had the first strike of the match and sent a follow-up header over.

Vasily Berezutsky had a volley deflected wide after connecting with a deep cross from Krasic in the 15th minute.

Krasic then broke clear down the right flank, beating a defender before crashing a left-footed shot into Wolfsburg left back Marcel Schaefer.

CSKA responded positively after Dzeko's goal, with Dzagoyev's angled shot going just wide and Krasic skipping past two defenders and into the box only to be denied by a last-ditch tackle.

Dzeko turned provider in the 32nd minute with a neat reverse pass to Zvjezdan Misimovic from the right, but his fellow Bosnian smashed over the bar from eight meters.

"You can't miss those kinds of chances," Veh said.

Benaglio denied CSKA an equalizer in the 40th minute, making a sharp point-blank save from Vasily Berezutsky.

Former Russia captain Yevgeny Aldonin directed a long drive just past Wolfsburg's post after the break.

Krasic continued to torment Schaefer, this time sending a skidding cross into the box that Dzagoyev tried to flick into the net but missed.

The hosts' defensive vulnerabilities were exposed again in the 53rd minute, when Dzeko knocked Martin's shot into the goal only for the strike to be ruled out for offside.

CSKA committed men forward in search of the two goals it needed to stay in the competition. Dzagoyev eluded two players in the 54th minute and sent Pavel Mamayev through into the box, but Benaglio dived to his right to block the near-post shot away.

Necid then scored his equalizer that galvanized his team. Soon after, Dzagoyev hit a shot on the turn that deflected just wide before Krasic put his team ahead.

CSKA maintained the pressure but had nervy moments to endure at the back.

Misimovic struck a long shot in the 69th that was held by Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, who dived to his left to catch a strike from substitute Karim Ziani a minute later.

Defender Sergei Ignashevic and Mamayev hit shots wide in further chances for CSKA, while Dzagoyev struck straight at the goalkeeper from a pinpoint cross by Berezutsky in the 88th.

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