Ghana midfielder Mohammed Rabiu was sent off in the Russian Premier League as Kuban Krasnodar were defeated away against Rubin Kazan.
Midfielder Magomed Ozdoev scored the only goal of the game on 71 minutes following an assist from playmaker Carlos Eduardo.
The victory will have delighted the majority of the 4,000 in attendance at the Stadion Rubin, but Leonid Kuchuk’s side may well feel that they could have done more to have avoided defeat.
Rabiu—who has been in and out of the side this season, making only 16 starts—received his first yellow card on 77 minutes.
Eight minutes later he was off, having received a second booking.
In a career that has spanned seven years, this is the first time that the central midfielder has been dismissed.
Before being sent for an early bath, the international was enjoying a mixed encounter. Defensively, he contributed four tackles, four clearances and two interceptions, according to WhoScored, and also won two of his aerial battles.
However, Rabiu’s clumsiness was also apparent—the 25-year-old contributed more fouls than anyone else in the match (with five).
Defeat leaves Kuban firmly in mid-table in the Russian top flight. After 27 matches, they have accrued 32 points and sit in ninth place.
With only three matches to play, it would take a remarkable decline for the Cossacks to fall into the relegation mire, while European qualification is beyond them.
Rabiu joined Kuban in 2013, following three seasons with Evian Thonon Gaillard in France. He previously played for Gimnastic and Xerez on loan following spells in Italy with Sampdoria and Udinese.
He was part of the memorable Ghana U20 side who claimed gold at the 2009 U20 World Cup, but lost his place in the Black Stars first team during the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations following the emergence of Afriyie Acquah.
