It was a return to league action in the Belarusian Premier League after the International break where Belarus played two friendly games. They lost 2-0 to Montenegro which was played in Turkey and then drew 0-0 with Malta. The games saw 19 year old striker Maxim Kireev make his debut - He was sub versus Montenegro and started the Malta game. He was born in Belgium and came through the Anderlecht youth system but currently plays for Lierse Kempenzonen in the Belgium second tier.
The u21's won their first game, at the ninth attempt, in the Euro 2025 qualification Group G causing a surprise beating Greece u21 1-0 with the only goal scored in the second half by Timofey Martynov who made the move from FC Minsk to Russian Premier League side Orenburg recently.
Currently FIFA ranked 95th the National team's next fixtures come in September in the UEFA Nation's League Group C against Bulgaria (72) and Luxembourg (92). They are still banned by UEFA from playing in Belarus due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine with 'home games' played at a neutral ground in different country behind closed doors.
NO GOALS AT THE STADION SPARTAK
First League Champion's Arsenal Dzerzhinsk and runner's up DNEPR Mogilev met on Friday with the game ending 0-0. The best chance of the game fell to DNEPR who when a Martin Artyukh low cross was met by Ibrahim Kargbo in front of goal but the former Reading and Crystal Palace academy striker put his effort wide when it looked easier to score. Both teams will be happy with the clean sheets after they lost their opening games 1-0 and 2-0.
NINE GOALS CONCEDED - SMORGON STRUGGLING ALREADY
Smorgon already look like they will struggle this season as after losing 5-0 at Dynamo Minsk on the opening weekend they lost 4-1 at Dynamo Brest who Mikhail Gordeychuk scored twice for. The Bears won 7 of their 28 league games last season but 5 of those came in the first 13 games with a run of just 2 wins in their final 15 games which included a 2-4 victory at relegated Energetik-BGU. They conceded 2.11 goals per game last season with an average of 4.5 in their 2 games already! Had it not been for some of the saves goalkeeper Pavel Okhremchuk made in this game it could of been a bigger defeat - 30 year old Okhremchuk replaced 20 year old Ivan Novichkov who had played in the Dynamo Minsk. Igors Sļesarčuk's team next take on FC Minsk on Friday 5th April.
NAFTAN DRAW AGAINST BATE BORISOV
It was good day for Naftan on Saturday as they had been thrashed 0-7 at home to BATE Borisov in their last home game of the 2023 season but achieved a highly creditable 0-0 draw this weekend.
It was a much changed BATE side with five of the six scorers from the 0-7 game no longer with the club - Dmitri Podstrelov (Dynamo Minsk), Denis Laptev (Torpedo Zhodino), Atrem Kontsevoy (Urai) and Dmitri Antlevskiy (Hapoel Haifa) have all departed with only Kirill Chernock remaining who was a substitute for this game.
It certainly wasn't a backs to the wall defensive performance from the home as they had some good chances to score which were saved by BATE's former Gomel goalkeeper Vladislav Ignatyev.
Naftan can certainly take much confidence into their tricky away trip to reigning champion's Dynamo Minsk next weekend.
ANOTHER NIL-NIL AT ISLOCH v SHAKHTYOR
Shakhytor added another point to their total with a 0-0 draw at Isloch. They started the season on -20 due to the 2022 match fixing scandal and after two games are now on -16.
Isloch dominated the game with Shakhtoyr's Sergey Chernik much the busier goalkeeper. The home side had 10 shots on target to visitor's 3 along with 9 off target to the visitor's 2.
SLAVIA MOZYR COME BACK AGAINST VITEBSK
On a weekend of many goalless draws you would of thought Vitesbsk, who were famous for 0-0 draws back when Belarusian Football was popular around the world, would of been in a game with not much goal action. It was far from that at the Central Sport Complex as the home side raced into a 2-0 lead inside the first 10 minutes with an own goal and 20 year old Karen Vardanyan netting only the second Premier League goal of his career so far - He scored 16 in the first league last season. His lob over the keeper from the edge of the box was a very impressive finish.
Two goals from Pavel Chikida and the winner from former Naftan Novopolotsk midfielder Kirill Krilenko saw Slavia record a very memorable 2-3 victory.
SAVITSKIY, GWETH & KRAVTSOV ALL ON TARGET IN NEMAN VICTORY AT GOMEL
Cameroonian striker Leonard Gweth scored his first goal for Neman in his second game along with Pavel Savitskiy (penalty) and Maksim Kravtsov netting in their 2-3 victory at Gomel. Gabon striker Rody Effaghe kept up the International feel scoring for Gomel in the second half.
Gweth's goal was argubaly the best of the weekend shrugging off a couple of challenges on the edge of the box and slotting the ball home into the corner of the net.
SKAVYSH PROVES HIS CLASS ONCE AGAIN
Maxsim Skavysh scored the only goal of the game for Tropedo against Slutsk. It was his second goal of the season - Could he be set for beating his 19 goal (in 29 games) total for BATE in 2020?
A GOOD POINT FOR FC IN THE MINSK DERBY
It was the fourth nil-nil of the weekend in The Minsk derby. FC's 21 year old Evgeni Malashevich had a very impressive game in midfield. Roman Begunov thought he'd won the game in the final moments when he tapped the ball into the net but was adjudged to have fouled FC goalkeeper Maksim Azarko when challenging for a header from a corner in the build up - Definitely the right decision made by the referee.
FACT
THERE WERE FOUR NIL-NILS THIS WEEKEND BUT ONLY ONE LESS GOAL SCORED (16) COMPARED TO WEEK ONE'S TOTAL OF 17 BUT THERE WERE NO NIL-NILS IN WEEK ONE.
RESULTS
FRIDAY 29th MARCH
DNEPR Mogilev
0-0
Arsenal Dzerzhinsk (2,450)
Dynamo Brest
4-1
Smorgon (7,588)
SATURDAY 30th MARCH
Naftan
0-0
BATE (500)
Vitebsk
2-3
Slavia Mozyr (1,050)
Isloch
0-0
Shakhtyor Soligorsk (550)
SUNDAY 31st MARCH
Gomel
2-3
Neman Grodno (1.200)
Torpedo BelAZ
1-0
Slutsk (2,324)
FC Minsk
0-0
Dinamo Minsk (1,450)
In the fixture list you'll see it's the first weekend of the second tier with Energetik-BGU, who were relegated last season, opening the weekend with a trip to Ostrovets. Belshina Bobruisk, the other relegated team, travel to Slonim on Saturday.
The big game of the Premier League weekend is the clash of two teams expected to be challenging for the title and who finished 2nd and 3rd last season as Neman Grodno entertain Torpedo-Belaz Zhodino.
FIXTURES
PREMIER LEAGUE
FRIDAY 5th APRIL Arsenal Dzerzhinsk v Vitebsk
FC Minsk v Smorgon
SATURDAY 6th APRIL
Slutsk v DNEPR Mogilev
BATE v Gomel
Shakhtyor Soligorsk v Dynamo Brest
SUNDAY 7th APRIL
Slavia Mozyr v Isloch
Neman Grodno v Torpedo BelAZ
Dynamo Minsk v Naftan
FIRST LEAGUE
FRIDAY 5th APRIL
Ostrovets v Energetik-BGU SATURDAY 6th APRIL
Orsha v Torpedo BelAZ II
ABFF U17 v Bumprom Gomel
Slonim v Belshina Bobruisk
Dynamo Minsk II v Niva Dolbizno
SUNDAY 7th APRIL
Lokomotiv Gomel v ML Vitebsk
Lida v Volna Pinsk
Shakhtyor Soligorsk II v Molodechno
BATE II v Baranovichi
(Pictures are from Naftan Novopolotsk v BATE Borisov courtesy of @fcnaftan on Instagram)
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