Lokomotiv Moscow shattered the 100 per cent record of Inter Milan in this season's Champions League on Tuesday with a shock 3-0 victory over the Italians.

Mikhail Ashvetia (R) and Dmitry Loskov of Lokomotiv Moscow celebrate after scoring the second goal against Inter Milan during their Champions League Group B match in Moscow, October 21, 2003. Lokomotiv Moscow won the match 3-0. [Reuters]

Goals from Dmitry Loskov, Mikheil Ashvetia and Dmitry Khokhlov wrapped up a comfortable Group B win for the Russian side before the hour mark against their lacklustre visitors.

But Inter still top the group with six points from three matches followed by Dynamo Kiev, also with six after beating Arsenal 2-1, Lokomotiv (four) and the London club (one).

Lokomotiv, who had not scored a goal in their opening two matches, produced a superb display against an Inter team still reeling after Argentine coach Hector Cuper was sacked on Sunday.

Cuper's former assistant Corrado Verdelli took charge for this one game in the Russian capital before Alberto Zaccheroni takes over on a permanent basis on Wednesday.

Lokomotiv coach Yuri Syomin, who was heavily criticised by the Russian media for an over-cautious approach in their first two games, made a change this time around by pairing Maxim Buznikin with regular striker Ashvetia.

The gamble paid off less than two minutes into the match when Lokomotiv captain Loskov converted Buznikin's cross from the right wing to make it 1-0.

Loskov again tested Inter goalkeeper Francesco Toldo with a 15-metre drive several minutes later, while Inter's first chance came in the 13th minute when Alvaro Recoba's header went wide.

CONSTANT DRIZZLE

Lokomotiv and Inter played an attacking game for much of the first half in a constant drizzle with plenty of chances for both sides.

The Italians missed a great chance to equalise on the half-hour when Inter captain Javier Zanetti stole the ball from Khokhlov, but shot well over the bar after going clear on goal.

Buznikin almost made it 2-0 late in the first half when his shot ricocheted off a defender but went just wide of the post with Toldo wrong-footed.

But the home side took complete control after the break.

Ashvetia, left unmarked in front of the Inter goal, doubled Lokomotiv's lead five minutes after the break, firing into the top of the net after another cross from the right.

Seven minutes later Russian international Khokhlov completed the rout with an imperious header from 15 metres.

'Tonight, we just continued the way we played our last game,' said Lokomotiv coach Syomin, referring to a 6-1 thrashing of Shinnik Yaroslavl in last week's premier league match.

'We know Inter like to play a counter-attacking style and, of course, we were helped by a quick first goal. It could have been totally different if they had scored first.'

His Inter counterpart was left to rue missed chances.

'We just made too many mistakes as we tried to score, missing a lot of chances, and also we gave up too many balls in midfield,' said Verdelli.

Nevertheless, the Italian, who made two changes to the team that drew 2-2 at Brescia in Serie A on Saturday, was confident about his team's future.

'Of course, this defeat is a big blow for us, both mentally and in terms of points,' he said. 'But I'm sure in the next few days when things start returning to normal we'll again be a team contending for all the trophies we are competing in.'

News agencies reported that police had arrested more than 90 Russian supporters, most of them drunk, who were celebrating the shock win.

There were no major incidents reported as opposite fans were kept apart. Some 200 Inter supporters were driven away in buses to their hotel in the central Moscow.

Fan clashes are common in Russian soccer. Several hundred CSKA Moscow and Spartak Moscow fans fought in the city on Sunday afternoon following a reserve match between the two clubs.

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