Rubin Kazan and Panathinaikos played out a second straight 0-0 draw in the Champions League on Tuesday, leaving both sides with an uphill task to qualify for the next round.
Two weeks after the two sides finished goalless in Greece, Rubin dominated its home game but failed to capitalize on numerous scoring opportunities.
The result left Rubin, which is yet to win a match, in third place in Group D with three points from four games. Panathinaikos remains last with two, and midfielder Costas Katsouranis admitted qualification for the knockout round was unrealistic.
"It's more realistic to hope for third place in the group," Katsouranis said. "There are no miracles in football. The rewards come from playing well and sometimes a little bit of luck."
Panathinaikos has a home game against Barcelona and a trip to FC Copenhagen to come.
"For sure, things are now very difficult for us. But we can't give up until all the games are over," Panathinaikos coach Nikos Nioplias said. "We could have lost tonight and we could have won, so I guess the result was fair.
"There's no point in crying about results that you get or don't get. I think we played the best we could with the available players."
Rubin striker Sergei Kornilenko cut in from the right flank and into the box and had a shot from a narrow angle blocked by Alexandros Tzorvas in the 15th minute.
Two minutes later, unmarked Alan Kasaev failed to connect with a cross from the right after a quick free kick.
Rubin had its best chances late in the first half when Tzorvas blocked Kornilenko's header in the 40th. A minute later Kornilenko missed the target after Kasaev's cross from the right.
Simao's drive from outside the box in the 44th was one of the few times the visitors threatened in the first half, but Rubin was back on the front foot after the break.
Tzorvas blocked Kornilenko's left-footed shot in the 60th and a minute later, Carlos Eduardo provided a neat pass for Aleksandr Ryazantsev just six yards out but he failed to control the ball.
Tzorvas made another save in the 84th, when a free kick from the left hit Obafemi Martins on the shoulder just two yards from goal.
Rubin midfielder Gokdeniz Karadeniz and Panathinaikos striker Djibril Cisse came close to scoring a late winner in the final minutes.
