Moscow - Ria Novosti
Samuel Eto'o scored on his Russian Premier League debut for Anzhi Makhachkala on Saturday, tapping in an 80th minute equalizer to earn his new team a 1-1 draw at Rostov. The Cameroonian forward, who signed this week from Inter Milan on one of the world's most lucrative contracts for an athlete, entered the match as a 58th-minute substitute, and leveled the score after fellow newcomer Yuri Zhurkov skipped past three Rostov defenders to set up the goal. Rostov's Timofei Kalachev scored the opener for the hosts, a 72nd-minute free kick from just outside the penalty area. The result keeps Anzhi in fourth, eight points off the lead of CSKA Moscow, who play Sunday in the city derby against Spartak Moscow. Anzhi's next match is against Volga Nizhny Novgorod on September 11th, when Eto'o could make his home debut. Eto'o's three-year deal is reportedly worth 20 million euros a year, making him the highest-paid footballer in the world. He is part of a drive led by Aznhi's billionaire owner Suleiman Kerimov to turn the modest club in Russia's Dagestan province into European challengers.