July 23, 24 & 25, 2021
There are again just the five matches this weekend, with Shakhtyor’s match again being postponed, despite their exit from the Champions League and their Europa Conference opposition coming from Luxembourg, who lost 0-5 in Gibraltar. With an embarrassing 1-2 loss to Fola in the first leg played in Hungary, perhaps they should actually have been getting match fit by playing matches….
Torpedo have also been allowed the week-end off to prepare for the second leg against FC Copenhagen, although it probably won’t be much use to them having lost the first leg 1-4 in Denmark.
The demise of Sputnik has given Gomel a weekend-off.
Bizarrely though, the Premier League’s two other Europa Conference participants, BATE and Dinamo Brest, have not been allowed to postpone their fixture, and play each other in the match of the weekend on Sunday evening. Dinamo looked like they would be on the receiving end of a battering in the Czech Republic against Viktoria Plzen after going into the interval 0-2 down, but they did much better in the second half and did well to bring the score back to 1-2.
BATE had a trip to Georgia to face the current leaders of the Georgian league, Dinamo Batumi, and after a 1-0 victory thanks to a late goal from Nekhaychik, will be confident of keeping the Belarus flag flying in the Second Qualifying round.
The mid-season transfer window has seen quite a bit of activity, with probably the most significant move being that of last season’s league top scorer, Maksim Skavysh moving from BATE to Shakhtyor, with BATE signing Dmitriy Yusov from Isloch as his replacement.
Rukh Brest vs FK Minsk ( Friday at 18.30 UK time )
After their ultra defensive display at Gomel, Rukh will hopefully be more inclined to play an attacking game at home to a Minsk side on a run of just one defeat in 8 matches. 2-1
Result : 1-0. A tough result on Minsk who were well worth a draw, with a typically effervescent performance from Shramchenko, and a debut for Yuri Kozlov pulling the strings in midfield until fading a little in the second half. Ultimately though they failed to create enough chances.
Rukh ground out the result despite another unimpressive display, apart from a 10 minute spell before half-time, when they missed several good chances. The only goal of the game came in the 53th minute, from a goal-keeping error from Prishivalko, who allowed Grechikho’s shot to squirm through his body and over the line. Not a good week for Belarusian goalkeepers, given Gutor’s horrendous effort in the CL for Shakhtyor, where he somehow managed to get out of a way a shot hit straight at him.
Prishivalko partially redeemed himself with a good block to prevent Laptev adding a second for Rukh in the dying moments, which would have given a very unfair look to the final score
Neman Grodno vs FK Slutsk ( Saturday at 16.00 UK time )
A tough one to predict. If Slutsk can reproduce their second half performance against BATE they should win easily. If they reproduce their first half effort then hapless Neman have a chance. 1-2
Result : 1-0. An important victory for Neman, their first at home this season, after a tight game. Slutsk again played some nice football but found it difficult to break-down a much more resolute Neman defence in which Vasiljev stood out.
The winning goal came in the 86th minute, Zubovich volleyed left footed across goal from beyond the far post into the opposite corner. Slutsk keeper Gomelko may have done better to keep out the effort.
Slutsk’s best chance came in the 75th minute but Glebko screwed his left footed effort just wide of the post from 10 yards out.
Dinamo Minsk vs Vitebsk ( Saturday at 18.45 UK time )
Vitebsk upset the bookies last week by scoring twice. The early season Dinamo predictably drew 0-0 at Vitebsk, but Dinamo are looking more potent these days. 2-0
Result : 3-1. Dinamo left it late to secure a deserved win, as for 70 minutes Vitebsk looked capable of snatching a point.
Dinamo dominated the first half, Bykov headed a corner against the bar before the referee awarded a penalty when Mbengue’s header appeared to strike the shoulder of Skitov. Mbengue casually stroked the penalty against the post and it rebounded to safety. However, Dinamo did get a first half lead via Lozkhin’s fabulous 25 yard swerving effort which gave Gushchenko no chance.
After Mbengue had missed another good chance, sending a header inches wide, a nice move from the visitors saw Rassadkin pass through the heart of the Dinamo defence for Ksenofontov to expertly finish past Khatkevich for an unexpected equaliser. As Dinamo reeled from this shock Teverov had an opportunity to give Vitebsk the lead, but his shot from just outside the 6 yard box was high and wide.
Gushchenko then produced a diving finger tip save to keep out a grubber from Mbengue before Dinamo regained the lead in the 72nd minute. A cross by Klimovich from the right wasn’t dealt with and reached Batsula, racing into the penalty area, to lash a left-footed screamer through the legs of the keeper.
Dinamo wrapped up the points 10 minutes from time, Batsula’s inviting cross from the left across the face of the goal found Klimovich at the back post for a simple finish.
FK Smorgon vs FK Isloch Minsk ( Sunday at 16.00 UK time )
Isloch have drawn their last three matches, and Smorgon have draw 4 of their last 5. Another draw is on the cards. 1-1
Result : 1-2. A bad result for Smorgon, falling to get even one point after traditionally bad defending from a corner saw Dibango’s towering header give victory to Isloch.
Isloch took a 5th minute lead with a swift counter attack resulting in a calm finish by Ruslan Lisakovich on the end of low cross from Sosah. Smorgon were strangely lethargic and rarely threatened in the first half, although Camara’s attempt from just inside the Isloch half would have been goal of the season if it had not drifted narrowly wide.
Smorgon got back on level terms in the 59th minute thanks to a lovely piece of skill and finish by Pasevich, a left footed curler just inside the post. Isloch could have regained the lead but Komorovskiy’s header was blocked on the line, but Smorgon’s luck eventually ran out.
BATE Borisov vs Dinamo Brest ( Sunday at 18.45 UK time )
The match of the weekend. Dinamo managed to draw at Shakhtyor and played tremendously to hold Rukh. BATE have won all 9 home matches though. 1-0
Result : 0-2. Having drawn at Shakhtyor, Dinamo followed that up with a merited win in Borisov to end BATE’s 100% home record. A bad tempered, niggly game swung in favour of the visitors in the 26th minute with a second yellow card to Signevich for recklessly kicking the head of Tikhonovskiy when attempting to play the ball. Until then BATE had dominated possession even if chances had been few and far between. Yusov, did get the ball in the net for BATE shortly after the red card, but he was clearly off-side.
Dinamo took advantage of the extra man two goals in a three minute spell in the final quarter. First, Sedko acrobatically turned and volleyed home from 12 yards for a goal worthy to win any match. Then, on his full debut Milyutin’s snap shot gave Chichkan no chance and snuck just inside the post.
Dinamo could have added further goals, but Chichkan saved well from Bilenyki and Milyutin
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