nobody left the team, and incoming transfers looked promising. The first victory in the 2005 season came only in the 8th round over Spartak (2–0). It allowed Rubin to leave the last place. Then Kazan managed to climb in the standings, but 7 games without a win once again led Rubin in the danger zone, out of which the team managed to climb only due to a good finish of the season. Tenth place, of course, was seen as a failure after the excellent 2003 season. The UEFA Cup ended in the third round, after a 2–0 away victory Rubin lost their home match 0–3. 2006–2009 In 2006, Rubin had a new president when the head of the club became Alexander P. Gusev, who replaced Kamil Iskhakov. The team did well enough in the Russian Premier League to take part in European cup competitions. In August Rubin the second time in its history played in UEFA Cup. In the second qualifying round Kazan easily passed Belarusian BATE Borisov (3–0 at home and 2–0 away). The next stage Kazan lost to Parma from Italy (both matches 0–1). Russian Championship Rubin finished on fifth position, which allowed it to play next season in Intertoto Cup. In the 2007 season, again there was a major refurbishment of the team. Rubin added a number of players, but many players left the team before 2008, due to the poor performance of the team: 10th position in the championship of Russia and the defeat in UEFA Intertoto Cup by old rivals Rapid Vienna. The season was further marred by the death of defender Lenar Gilmullin, a Kazan native who played for the first team. In 2008, Rubin won the league championship to qualify for the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League Group stage, making them the easternmost team to play in the competition. Their championship season began with a league record seven consecutive wins, including victories against defending champions Zenit St. Petersburg. Rubin clinched its first championship in club history and became only the third club from outside Moscow to win the Russian Premier League (after Spartak-Alania Vladikavkaz and Zenit St. Petersburg). On 20 October 2009, Rubin recorded an upset over Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League by winning 2–1 at Camp Nou. This was followed by a 0–0 draw at home two weeks, also against Barcelona. On 21 November 2009, Rubin secured a 0–0 draw against Zenit