September 11 & 12, 2021
Following
their first defeat of the season at Rukh, Shakhtyor will probably appear to be
in a stronger position at the head of the table at the end of this weekend’s
round of matches, as it is their turn to be awarded the 3-0 walkover win over
defunct Sputnik. They probably need these points as they face stern tests in
their three upcoming fixtures ( BATE
away, Neman home, Dinamo Minsk away ).
BATE and
Rukh both face sides in the relegation places, so will be expected to keep the
pressure on Shakhtyor.
There are no matches on Friday, but with the winter nights starting to close in, the matches on Saturday kick-off at the usual time of ten to the hour !
FK Isloch Minsk vs
Neman Grodno ( Saturday @ 12.50 UK time )
Although Isloch
bounced back from their 1-7 hammering at Rukh by grabbing a point at BATE, in form
Neman will be short odds to add to their 5 consecutive league wins. 1-3
Result : 2-0. Isloch
deservedly ended Neman’s recent winning run and in doing so ended any faint
lingering relegation worries they may have had. Not much happened in the first
half, although Zubovich should have given Neman the lead but his flick from
close range was steered wide, whilst for Isloch, Dmitry Lisakovich decided to
fall over in a pathetic attempt to win a penalty rather than trying to score
when clear on goal.
The deadlock was broken
in the 53rd minute with a well worked set-piece routine. Kozyrenko’s
in-swinging left footed free-kick was met beyond the far post and headed back
across to the face of the goal, where the unmarked Sosah leapt acrobatically to
head home at the other post. It was the Ghanaian’s third goal in two goals.
Isloch settled the
match in the 66th minute when Kozyrenko’s though ball sprung the
offside trap to put Sanets clear, and the former Sputnik player produced a
comprehensive finish across goal into the top corner to give Malevskiy no
chance.
It was a day to forget
for Neman, which got worse when Zubovich received a second yellow card 10
minutes from time, pushing over an Isloch player when trying to get the ball to
take a throw-in.
FK Minsk
vs Torpedo BelAZ Zhodino ( Saturday @ 14.50 UK time )
Minsk have
lost 4 in a row without scoring, whilst Torpedo have lost three on the trot, so
at least one of these records will come to an end. It could be grim. 0-0
Result :
0-2. A fifth loss for Minsk without scoring and they may well yet be dragged
into relegation danger if they carry on playing like this. Torpedo didn’t need
to be anything above ordinary to take the points. It was predictably 0-0 at half-time,
thanks to Samiev wasting two good chances for Torpedo, and a horrible effort by
Ostroukh for Minsk with just the keeper to beat.
A goal
eventually came 4 minutes after half-time thanks to some poor defending by
Minsk. Keeper Prishivalko ought to have gathered a high ball into the area, but
he seemed to lose his bearings, allowed it to bounce, only for Gabovda to hook
across to the goalmouth. Tajik International Samiev made no mistake this time,
sliding in to score from a couple of yards as the Minsk defenders stood and watched.
Aleksey Antilevski
and Veloso both squandered glorious chances to extend Torpedo’s lead but 10
minutes from time they were awarded a penalty when Stolbov’s sliding attempt to
cut-out Astakhov’s cross was adjudged to have struck his arm. Gabovda sent the
keeper the wrong way from the spot.
Dinamo
Brest vs FK Slutsk ( Saturday @ 16.50 UK time )
Slutsk took
an important step to survival with their win over Slavia last time out, but
they have the worst away record in the league, and with their fantastic crowd
behind them, Dinamo should ease to victory. 2-0
Result :
0-0. An important point for Slutsk in a dire game, and the visitors will probably
feel they should have taken all three points from a strangely lack-lustre
Dinamo, who were without Pavel Sedko. Potapenko came close with two decent efforts
for Slutsk, whilst Gvazava forced Stepanov into pushing a low shot off for a
corner in added on time.
FK Gomel
vs FK Vitebsk ( Saturday @ 18.50 UK time )
Two wins
have seen Vitebsk move up to 6th but Gomel are unbeaten at home and
should find a way past the Big Blue Bus. 1-0
Result :
4-1. This match got off to an electric start. Julio Cesar should have given the
visitors an early lead but headed wide from 6 yards, after which Gomel’s Levistskiy
had a shot blocked by the legs of Gushchenko. Gomza hit the post with a shot
from the edge of the area, with the rebound hitting the prone Gushchenko,
before fortunately for Vitebsk rolling wide of the post for a corner.
Gomza gave
Gomel the lead in the 22nd minute but his left-footed shot went
under the body of the Vitebsk keeper and it really should have been saved.
There was little Gushchenko could do two minutes later though, as Solovei added
a second for Gomel and his 11th of the season.
Vitebsk pulled themselves back into the game in the 32nd minute when Krasnov thumped a shot into the roof of the net after Teverov’s pull-back and they started the second half strongly. Wanderson saw his long range header headed off the line, Ksenofontev had a snap shot saved by Ivanenko and then the same player sent a curling left-footed effort against the base of the post only for Teverov’s follow-up header to go inches wide.
The game turned
decisively 10 minutes from time when Julio Cesar gave Borodin a slight nudge in
the back, and the Gomel player went down like the proverbial sack of spuds
holding his head. The referee awarded a straight red card to Julio Cesar to reduce Vitebsk to 10 men. Two
late goals from Ivanov gave the match a very misleading scoreline.
FK
Smorgon vs BATE Borisov ( Sunday @ 13.45 UK time )
Smorgon are
in desperate need of points but have taken points from both Shakhtyor and Rukh
in their last two home matches. Although BATE have been shaky in the past month
or so, nothing less than 3 points are required this week. 1-2
Result :
1-3. Another brave, but ultimately fruitless performance from Smorgon as BATE’s
extra quality saw them home. After coming close with a header from a corner,
BATE took the lead in the 20th minute, Smorgon keeper Scherbachenya got
both hands to Nekhaychik’s free-kick, but could only push the ball on to the
underside of the bar and over the line. Scherbachenya made partial amends with
two fine saves, but Smorgon failed to learn their lesson as BATE scored with a
near identical corner, Jakov Filipovic timing his run to head home.
Smorgon pulled
a goal back in scrappy fashion four minutes from the break, but they all count
! Leonovich got enough of a touch on a deflected low cross to divert the ball
pass BATE keeper Kudravets, who had already committed himself, and the ball
trickled over the line. However, BATE restored their two goal advantage on the
stroke of half-time. Karasev’s drive was probably going in but defender Yatskevich’s
attempts to prevent the goal only succeeded in him put the ball into the net,
and he was perhaps unfairly credited with the own goal for his efforts.
Despite their
hard work, Smorgon were unable to create more than a couple of half-chances in
the second half, and BATE had the better chances to score the next goal.
However, the second half remained goal-less, and BATE moved, albeit temporarily, to the top of the
table.
FK
Slavia Mozyr vs Rukh Brest ( Sunday 15.45 UK time )
It’s
looking bleak for Slavia, and a visit from a Rukh side unbeaten in their last
12 league matches is hardly what the doctor ordered. 0-2
Result :
1-1. A barely deserved point for Slavia as they stay deep in the relegation
mire. Despite being reduced to 10 men after a second yellow card to David Tweh,
it was Rukh who were pressing for a late winner but unfortunately for them,
Bakaj twice selfishly chose to shoot rather than pass to better placed
colleagues.
Rukh took
the lead in the 7th minutes when Tweh’s incisive pass freed Pechenin
down the left and his shot squirmed through the legs of Slavia keeper Shishlov.
Noyok nearly added a second but his long range effort hit the top of the bar
and went over, and Laptev was then denied by a point blank save by Shishlov.
Tweh
received has second yellow card in the 52nd minute, unfortunately
catching Lovets when stretching after losing control, and was consoled and escorted
from the pitch by Slavia’s Narh and Barsukov.
Slavia were
galvanized by this advantage, and Narh saw his goal-bound effort deflected over
the bar by a team-mate, and in the 67th minute substitute Ovono Essogo,
on his debut, stretched to turn home Malkevich’s low cross for the equalizer.
Rukh eventually weathered the storm, and finished the stronger side.
Energetik
BGU Minsk vs Dinamo Minsk ( Sunday 17.45 UK time )
Energetik
have been inconsistent, being well beaten last time out at Neman, but
deservedly drew with BATE. Dinamo have lost only one of their last 8 games and
will be looking to keep the pressure on the sides above them. 1-3
Result :
0-1. A binary win for Dinamo to keep their faint title hopes alive, but the
margin of victory should have been greater. The winning goal in the 71st
minute did have a large element of fortune to it though. Matveychik’s low cross from the right in the
general direction of Poe at the back post beat the diving Isloch keeper, but in
his efforts to intercept, Svirepa could only prod into the empty net.
Bakhar had
headed against the cross bar in the first half, Lozhkin rightly had a header
chalked off for off-side and Dinamo came close on several other occasions.
For
Energetik, Ubaydullalev forced Khatkevich to make two decent saves.
Summary :
FK Isloch Minsk 2-0 Neman Grodno ( att : 150 )
FK Minsk 0-2 Torpedo BelAZ Zhodino ( att : 210 )
Dinamo Brest 0-0 FK Slutsk ( att : 3,429 )
FK Gomel 4-1 FK Vitebsk ( att : 5,100 )
FK Smorgon 1-3 BATE Borisov ( att : 2,000 )
FK Slavia Mozyr 1-1 Rukh Brest ( att : 1,953 )
Energetik BGU Minsk 0-1 Dinamo Minsk ( att : 140 )
Highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1twwW-Tzh7o
Comments
BATE temporarily moved to the top of the table
after their victory at Smorgon, but Shakhtyor regained top spot when their 3-0
default win over Sputnik was applied, lying 2 points clear with three games in
hand. However, next week sees BATE host Shakhtyor, a match which could
determine the destiny of the title.
Dinamo Minsk leap-frogged Rukh after their hard
fought win at Energetik, and Rukh’s slip up in Mozyr. Gomel are keeping up
their chase, and the gap between them and 6th placed Dinamo Brest is
now 10 points.
At the bottom, Slavia moved 2 points ahead of
Smorgon but remained 7 points behind Slutsk, albeit with a game in hand. They
are now only 2 points behind three sides, Neman, Energetik and FK Minsk, with
FK Minsk in free-fall with 5 consecutive defeats without scoring a goal.
In the 7 matches, there were just 16 goals, three
red cards and one penalty.
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