MOSCOW (Interstat) — Mirlind Daku scored twice, including the go-ahead goal in the second half, as Spartak Moscow rallied from a one-goal deficit to beat Rodina Moscow 4-2 on Thursday in a match played here. Spartak Moscow improved to 1-0 in this competition and 1-0-1 across all competitions. Rodina Moscow fell to 0-1 in this competition and 0-3 across all competitions. The result followed a 1-1 draw for Spartak Moscow at Krylya Sovetov in its previous match. Rodina Moscow had lost 3-0 at CSKA Moscow and 3-2 at Dynamo Moscow in its previous two matches. Spartak Moscow entered the contest looking to build on that draw, while Rodina Moscow was seeking its first victory of the season across all competitions.

The match turned after a wild stretch late in the first half. Marquinhos gave Spartak Moscow the lead in the 25th minute, finishing a move that stretched the Rodina defense. Rodina Moscow answered with two goals in two minutes. Magomedkhabib Abdusalamov equalized in the 40th minute, and German Onugkha put the home side ahead in the 41st. The two-goal burst left Spartak Moscow trailing 2-1 at halftime. Onugkha’s goal came just one minute after Abdusalamov’s, swinging momentum toward Rodina Moscow before the break.

Daku changed the game after the break. He scored in the 48th minute to level the match, then struck again in the 64th to restore Spartak Moscow’s lead. Daku played 79 minutes before being substituted. His two goals led the attacking output. Marquinhos played the full match and scored once. Abdusalamov also played the full match and scored once for Rodina Moscow. Onugkha scored once in 62 minutes. Daniil Denisov recorded an assist in 84 minutes. Ezequiel Barco recorded an assist in 67 minutes. Manfred Ugalde scored in the 90th minute plus eight and received a yellow card in the 90th plus second while playing 11 minutes. Soltmurad Bakaev recorded an assist in 46 minutes. Daku’s equalizer came three minutes after halftime, and his second goal put Spartak Moscow ahead for good.

Ugalde’s late goal capped the scoring. It came deep into stoppage time after Rodina Moscow had pushed numbers forward. Spartak Moscow’s defense held through the closing stages, and the visitors finished with four goals from three scorers. Rodina Moscow’s two first-half goals were not enough to protect its lead. The match featured six total goals and a series of bookings as both sides grew more aggressive. Spartak Moscow remained unbeaten across all competitions, while Rodina Moscow remained without a win. Ugalde’s goal ended any hopes of a Rodina comeback.

Bookings went to Rodina Moscow’s Fishchenko in the 23rd minute, Spartak Moscow’s Umyarov in the 57th, Fernandes in the 62nd and Dmitriev in the 73rd, Ugalde in the 90th plus second, and Rodina Moscow’s Gordyushenko in the 90th plus third. Rodina Moscow made two changes at halftime, bringing on Bakaev and Rodrigo Becao. Onugkha was removed in the 62nd minute. Spartak Moscow made three changes in the 67th, replacing Umyarov, Barco and Parada. Daku came off in the 79th, and Denisov was removed in the 84th. The substitutions did not alter the final outcome, as Spartak Moscow protected its advantage and added the final goal in stoppage time.

Before kickoff, Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Spartak Moscow 3, Rodina Moscow 1. Interstat’s ELO system gave Spartak Moscow a 94.1 percent probability to win. Spartak Moscow had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 6 went under the over/under line of 3.5.