Spartak Moscow have claimed the first trophy of the season beating Danish champions FC Copenhagen in the Copa del Sol final.

Despite the cup being unofficial and the tournament regarded mostly as another stage of preparation for the Russian Premier League’s final battles this spring, the victory came as a honey drop for the Russian most decorated football club, who have not seen any trophies since winning the Russian Cup in 2003.

Argentinean international Nicolas Pareja netted the only goal of the game after a distance free-kick and an apparent goalkeeper mistake in the 33d minute. Spartak were closer to scoring their second than the Danish side were to leveling matters on the pitch. However, neither team managed to change the score, as the Russian side lifted the cup.

“Preparation for the season rather than wins was the most crucial thing during this cup. But when you reach a final, no matter what the tournament is, you want to win. And the win over such a strong team was very important for the players and the team as a whole mostly in terms of psychology,” stressed Spartak head coach Valery Karpin.

The annual exhibition tournament held in Spain is a chance for training and match play for the northern and eastern European football teams. Best Scandinavian teams as well as Ukrainian champs Shakhtar Donetsk and Russian sides Spartak Moscow and Anzhi took part in this year’s event.