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.