Marcos Pizzelli's second-half free kick earned Dan Petrescu's FC Kuban a 1-1 draw against Lokomotiv on Saturday, hurting the Muscovites' quest for a Champions League spot.
The visitors had seemed set for all three points after Roman Pavlyucheko's goal on the hour mark.
The Russia international took down a high ball and jinked inside Igor Armas before firing low past Alexander Belenov in the Kuban goal. It was Pavlyuchenko's second goal in six appearances since returning from Tottenham Hotspur during the winter break.
But Pizzelli had other ideas, placing a precision shot into Guilherme's top left corner with the Brazilian goalkeeper stranded.
The draw takes Lokomotiv to fourth on 64 points, two behind second-placed CSKA Moscow and 13 adrift of runaway leaders Zenit.
Kuban barely flinch in eighth at the bottom of the championship group, moving to 56 points, four behind Anzhi.
Belenov kept the hosts in the match in the first half, repelling an early Felipe Caicedo shot from the left.
The Ecuadorian was played through by Denis Glushakov moments later but Belenov intercepted his attempt to round the goalkeeper.
Roman Shishikin powered a high drive straight at Belenov soon after as the visitors began to dominate.
Kuban drove forward on a rare break only for striker Marcos Pizzelli to head straight at Lokomotiv goalkeeper Guilherme and volley the rebound wide.
That game started to swing Kuban's way toward the end of the half, as Lacina Traore blasted wide when clean through. The Ivorian then rattled the post with a header.
Romanian striker Gheorghe Bucur tested Guilherme with a long-range strike in the second half.
Traore, a constant nuisance in the Lokomotiv box, then set up Bucur but Guilherme dived to his right to tip away the point-blank shot.
Then, against the run of play, Pavlyuchenko put the visitors ahead.
Roman Shishkin could have put the visitors two up five minutes later but blazed high.
Lokomotiv paid the price when the Brazilian-born Pizzelli arrowed a left-footed free kick past a stationary Guilherme.
The Brazilian goalkeeper turned a fiery Traore shot around his right-hand post on 80 minutes, before Glushakov blasted Lokomotiv's last meaningful effort wide.
Earlier Saturday, FC Tomsk scored their biggest win of the season with a 3-0 triumph over Terek Grozny that gave them feint hope of escaping automatic relegation.
Krylya Sovetov, one place above Tomsk, can make their task all but impossible with a win later against FC Amkar Perm.
Then, second-placed CSKA Moscow travel to Zenit in search of a win that would at least delay title celebrations in St. Petersburg, with the team eleven points clear and just six games remaining.
