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A second-half blitz saw Dynamo Kiev overcome Rubin Kazan 3-1 to begin their Champions League Group F campaign with all three points.

Goals from Ayila Yussuf, Gerson Magrao (pictured) and Oleh Gusev in the final 20 minutes overwhelmed Rubin in an utterly dominant second-half performance from the home side.

Andriy Shevchenko's return to European football's highest table with the club where it all began for the striker was a triumphant affair, although it threatened to be anything but after a drab first half which was punctuated emphatically by Alejandro Dominguez's 25th-minute free-kick.

It had looked promising for Russian champions Rubin in their first ever appearance in the Champions League, but Kurban Berdyyev's side were bludgeoned in the second half as first a header from Yussuf and then two near-post finishes by Magrao and substitute Gusev completed the turnaround.

Wholly out of keeping with what came before and after in the first half, Dominguez's precision attempt, lifting the ball over the wall and into the far corner past a static Oleksandr Shovkovsky was the only effort worthy of Rubin's vault into exalted company.

The shock of either side taking the unexpected lead - Dominguez's effort was the only shot on target all half - focused Kiev minds, even if Valeri Gazzaev's side would not gain a grip on the game until the second half.

Five minutes after going behind, Kiev could have been back level but Milos Ninkovic scuffed his shot wide of Sergei Ryzhikov's goal after the midfielder had done all the hard work to get himself into a shooting opportunity.

The hitherto peripheral and frustrated Shevchenko then delivered a deep cross to the back post that Andriy Yarmolenko was unable to head goalwards.

The match improved markedly in the second half with Kiev laying siege to the increasingly withdrawn visitors.

Shevchenko's first sight of goal came four minutes after half-time, but the former Chelsea striker skied his effort following a flicked header by Artem Milevsky. The rangy Milevsky then turned on the edge of the area but poked his shot too close to Ryzhikov.

The equaliser duly arrived when Magrao's corner was flicked on by Milevsky and Yussuf headed in with a little help from the corner of bar and post.

Magrao had the ball in the net himself moments later but was adjudged offside following a howitzer of a shot by Roman Eremenko.

Yussuf could have doubled his and Kiev's tally with a similar goal to his first but Ryzhikov pulled off a good save low to his left.

Rubin remained barely afloat and were at last submerged 11 minutes from time when Magrao blasted into the top corner of the goal from eight yards out.

Substitute Gusev made it 3-1 in the 85th minute when he fired past Ryzhikov from a narrow angle after Milevsky's own attempt to get his name on the scoresheet had been thwarted by a desperate tackle from Roman Sharonov.

Chris Stanton / Eurosport