Gomel scoring three and Dynamo Brest scoring four away from home at BATE Borisov and Shakhtyor Soligorsk this weekend is a clear indication that the fifteen time title winners and 2020 & 2021 league champions are certainly no longer the dominant force in in Belrarusian football there were. For those not in the know Shakhtyor also finished top in 2022 but were stripped of the title due to the match fixing scandal.
MATCH ACTION FROM SHAKHTYOR'S GAME WITH DYNAMO BREST
Gomel took an early lead via 18 year old Kazakhstani striker Abinur Nurymbet who netted his first goal for the club following his recent move from Energetik-BGU. He headed home from a corner in the third minute. Timur Pukhov scored two more for the visitors who is another new player in the Gomel squad for this season after his move from Naftan Novopolotsk. His first was a very well struck free kick in the 27th minute. Andrey Panyukov, another former Naftan player, scored from the spot for BATE from the penalty spot to get tham back in the game but Pukhov finished the scoring with a brilliant strike from the edge of the box to help his side to a very memorable victory.
Dynamo Brest were 0-3 up after just twenty minutes with German Barkovskiy's skilful back heel goal the pick of the bunch. Kenyan striker Josephat Lopago finished the scoring when a defensive mix up saw him able to finish easily from just inside the box.
It was a fantastic weekend for DNEPR Mogilev who got their first away win at the top level of Belarusian football since 1st April 2018 they won 1-2 at Gorodeya. Anton Lukashov, who was only 13 years old in April 2018, got the only goal of the game in their 0-1 win at Slutsk.
Smorgon weren't expected to win at FC Minsk after losing their first two games by an aggregate score of 1-9 but they caused a real upset winning 2-3 with former Belshina Bobruisk Kirill Leonovich scoring two goals.
Slavia Mozyr and Neman Grodno are the only teams left with 100% winning records. Pavel Chikida continued his excellent early season form scoring a penalty and Kirill Kirilenko netting a goal in the second half in a 2-1 win over Islcoh whose goal was a late one in the 91st minute from Aleksandr Makas.
The game of the day was last season's runner's up with last season's 3rd place as Neman Grodno hosted Torpedo Belaz Zhodino. It was Pavel Savitskiy's famous left foot which won the game when he scored a 14th minute penalty in front of 5,800 people. The award of the penalty (take a look at the highlights!) was a little controversial as you'll see!
Naftan Novopolotsk who played very well in their first two games against Neman Grodno and BATE Borisov showed they have a very impressive team for this season as they raced into a 0-2 lead at Champion's Dynamo Minsk with 20 year old Ignat Pranovich who had two other very good chances to score.
Raymond Adeola scored his third goal of the season and a very important one when he made it 1-2 just before half time via a close range header. Pavel Meleshin made it 2-2 on 65 minutes. It wasn't a case of the visitor's hanging on for a point as Albert Rybak's team had chances to win with Fedor Lapoukhov in the home goal making some good saves.
STATS FOR THE SEASON SO FAR
100% WINNING RECORD - NEMAN GRODNO & SLAVIA MOZYR
UNBEATEN - NEMAN GRODNO, SLAVIA MOZYR, DYNAMO BREST & DYNAMO MINSK
WITHOUT A WIN - NAFTAN, ISLOCH, ARSENAL, VITEBSK, FC MINSK & SLUTSK.
TOP SCORERS (9) - DYNAMO BREST
WORST DEFENCE (11) - SMORGON
LOWEST SCORERS (1) - SHAKHTYOR, SLUTSK, ARSENAL, DNEPR MOGILEV
BEST DEFENCE (1) - TORPEDO ZHODINO
MATCH ACTION FROM OSTOVETS v ENERGETIK-BGU
It was the start of the First League this weekend with the big winners being ML Vitebsk who won 0-3 at Lokomotiv Gomel. The two demoted sides in Belshina and Energetik-BGU had mixed fortunes. The Students lost 1-0 at Ostrovets whose goal was scored by former FC Minsk, ML Vitebsk and Lida midfielder Kirill Parmonov on his debut.
Belshina won 0-2 at Slonim through goals from debutant's Vadim Balbukh and Yuri Gavrilov.
The Belarusian U17 side who have been placed in the second tier for this season left it late to win their first game when Stanislav Kazmerchuk (in the 84th minute) and Nikita Lyukevich at 90+3 minutes scored to win 2-1 over Bumprom Gomel. Lyukevich's chased down the away keeper and blocked his clearance to run clear and pass the ball into the net to win the three points.
MATCH ACTION FROM SLONIM v BELSHINA BOBRUISK
RESULTS
PREMIER LEAGUE
Friday 5th April
Arsenal Dzerzhinsk 1-1
Vitebsk (178)
FC Minsk
2-3
Smorgon (317)
Saturday 6th April
Slutsk
0-1
DNEPR Mogilev (1,100)
BATE Borisov 1-3
Gomel (2,225)
Shakhtyor Soligorsk
0-4
Dynamo Brest (1,020)
Sunday 7th April
Slavia Mozyr 2-1
Isloch (4.350)
Neman Grodno
1-0
Torpedo BelAZ (5,800)
Dynamo Minsk
2-2
Naftan (2,530)
FIRST LEAGUE
Friday 5th April Ostrovets
1-0
Energetik-BGU (150)
Saturday 6th April
Torpedo BelAZ II
1-1
Orsha (180)
ABFF U17
2-1
Bumprom (130)
Slonim
0-2
Belshina (340)
Dynamo Minsk II
1-2
Niva Dolbizno (80)
Sunday 7th April
Lokomotiv Gomel
0-3
ML Vitebsk (280)
Lida
1-0
Volna (975)
Shakhtyor Soligorsk II
0-2
Molodechno (125)
BATE II
2-1
Baranovichi (300)
FIXTURES
PREMIER LEAGUE
Friday 12th April
Vitebsk v Slutsk
Saturday 13th April
DNEPR Mogilev v Neman Grodno
Gomel v Dynamo Minsk
Isloch v Arsenal
Torpedo BelAZ v BATE
Sunday 14th April
Naftan v Smorgon
Shakhtyor Soligorsk v Slavia
Dynamo Brest v FC Minsk
FIRST LEAGUE
Friday 12th AprilBelshina v ABFF U17
Saturday 13th April
Ostrovets v Shakhtyor Soligorsk II
Volna v Orsha
1
Energetik-BGU v Bumprom
Niva Dolbizno v Lida
Sunday 14th April
ML Vitebsk v Dynamo Minsk II
Baranovichi v Lokomotiv Gomel
Molodechno v BATE II
Torpedo BelAZ II v Slonim
Also in the news this week is the constitution for the 2024 Second League which has been reduced to just three divisions shown below.
NORTH DIVISION (11 teams)
BGU Minsk
Gazovik Vitebsk
Gorki
Krumkachy Minsk
FC Minsk II
Miory
Naftan II
Polotsk
Smorgon II
Uni Minsk
Vitebsk II
EAST DIVISION (11 teams)
Avtozavodets Traktor
DNEPR Mogilev II
FSK Energetik
Gomel II
Isloch II
MNPZ
Osipovichi
Partizan Soligorsk
Servolyuks
Slavia II
Slutsk II
WEST DIVISION (12 teams)
Agro-Pelishche
Arsenal II
Atlant Kobrin
Bobovnya
Dynamo Brest II
Ivatsevichi
Krechet
Kronon
Nadezhda Baranovichskogo
Neman Grodno II
Shchuchin
Stenles Pinsk
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