September 18, 19 & 20, 2020
With many sides having just 7 fixtures to play, it is starting to get to crunch-time at the top and bottom !
Hopefully there will be no further postponements due to outbreaks of Covid-19…….
FK Smolevichy STI vs Rukh Brest ( Friday at 14.30 UK time )
Smolevichy have lost 5 matches in a row, and Rukh have lost just once away in 11 games. Away banker. 1-3
Result : 0-6. Away banker indeed. Rukh ruthlessly ripped apart an abject Smolevichy side who have clearly given up the ghost for this season. Keeper Kurshubasne had a debut to forget, passing straight to Sadovskiy to chip in the opener on 8 minutes, and failing to parry a shot from Vasiliev for 0-3. A red card for Alibakov was fairly irrelevant although Rukh didn't let up and added two more goals in the last 5 minutes.
Neman Grodno vs FK Minsk ( Friday at 16.30 UK time )
Neman will be looking to avenge their surprise 3-4 defeat at the end of August but revitalised Minsk are now unbeaten in 3 matches to virtually assure safety. 1-0
Result : 2-0. A routine home win for Neman in a dull game. Neman will be pleased to keep a cleansheet again, and Minsk rarely looked like creating anything dangerous apart from one good chance squandered by Zakirov. Once Marusic and Kadimyan had given Neman a two goal first half lead the game petered out as a contest.
FK Vitebsk vs Belshina Bobruisk ( Saturday at 12.00 UK time )
Belshina will be hurting after losing in injury time to Isloch last week, but Vitebsk are probably also shell-shocked after their 0-5 hammering in Soligorsk, which means they have taken just one point out of the last twelve. 2-2
Result : 1-1. A battling performance from Belshina to earn what could turn out to be a vital point in their battle for survival, and for once they didn't concede a winning goal at the end. It looked bleak for Belshina after Wanderson's first -time snap shot had given Vitebsk the lead, and for a while the home side threathened to overwhelm the visitors. But Belshina survived the onslaught and when a shot from Rekish rebounded of the post Salimov was the quickest to react to side foot home the equalizer.
Dinamo Brest vs Energetik BGU Minsk ( Saturday at 14.00 UK time )
Two of league’s most unpredictable sides meet but it should be entertaining. 2-2 ?
Result : 2-1. An open and entertaining game in which both sides should have scored more, and the woodwork took a pounding. Ultimately the trusty left foot of Pavel Savitskiy led Dinamo to victory with two goals, with Girs on the scoresheet for Energetik.
FK Gorodeya vs Torpedo BelAZ Zhodino ( Saturday at 16.00 UK time )
Torpedo are unbeaten in 7 and will be looking to consolidate 4th place against a Gorodeya outfit who have taken just 1 point in the 5 games, and are now in the relegation play-off place. 0-2
Result : 1-3. Poor old Gorodeya sink further into the mire although they might consider themselves a little unlucky. A sweeping length of the field move saw Habovda on hand to drill home to give Torpedo a 10th minute lead but Gorodeya responded well and missed several good chances. Their day was perhaps summed up by a header hitting the inside of the post and staying out, then a few minutes later Premudrov's free-kick hit the post and went in to give Torpedo a 2-0 lead. Ignatenko's header from one yard after a goalmouth scramble gave Gorodeya hope of a frantic finish, but Premudrov's close range header settled the match.
FK Isloch Minsk vs Dinamo Minsk ( Sunday at 11.00 UK time )
Isloch have 5 consecutive wins whilst Dinamo have lost to lower league Krumkachy in the Cup, and then been blizted by Dinamo Brest. 1-0
Result : 2-1. Dinamo Minsk in entertaining game shock ! After Yanush's snapshot from the edge of the area gave Isloch a 2nd minute lead, and Isloch being the better team in the first half, Dinamo played some enterprising football in the second half but a combination of bad finishing and another fine performace by Khatkevich in the Isloch goal prevented Dinamo from winning comfortably. It was a bit of a shock when Dinga's header found the back of the net for the equalizer, but Dinamo paid the price for their profligacy when Yansane shot home 5 minutes from time to give Isloch an unlikely victory.
FK Slutsk vs BATE Borisov ( Sunday at 13.00 UK time )
Despite Dragun and Stasevich reportedly suffering from Covid-19, BATE’s squad should be too strong for a Slutsk side in disarray and heading for relegation. 0-3
Result : 1-3. BATE took another step towards regaining the title whilst Slutsk remain deep in trouble. The mask wearing Semonov had given Slutsk a surprise early lead, bursting through a static defence before cooly finishing. However, once Skavysh had scored the first of his two goals the result rarely seemed in doubt. Filipenko's header gave BATE the half-time lead.
FK Slavia Mozyr vs Shakhtyor Soligorsk ( Sunday at 15.00 UK time )
Without a win in 5 matches, Slavia are now on the fringe of the relegation danger zone, and their worries are likely to worsen against the league leaders. 1-3
Result : 1-0. Slavia smashed a huge dent in Shakhtyor's title aspirations whilst virtually ensuring their survival in the Belarus Premier League. In a game of few chances, Tlupov's 81st minute effort evaded the desperate dive of Gutor to be the match-winner, Yakshiboev should have immediately equalised but his close range header was straight at Baronovskiy. Earlier Balanovich had appeared to have given Shakhtyor the lead but it was mysteriously disallowed, I have no idea why !
Summary :