Belarus Premier League - Round Eight- Friday 8th May 2020

(League Leaders Slutsk do battle with Energetyk-BGU in Round Eight on Friday)

This is my first blog for some time, two months in fact, after the football season in the UK was curtailed early due to the coronavirus outbreak.  But alas, I found out recently that the Belarus Premier League was pretty much the only league still playing, and all the games are live on YouTube as well!!! Fantastic, live football to keep me occupied during these dark and terrible times, well I’ve come in at Round Eight of the season, and today (Friday 8^th May) saw the first two games of the Round take place, starting with early league leaders Slutsk hosting fourth placed Energetyk-BGU….

Slutsk 1 Energetyk-BGU 2
Two first half penalties from the dangerous Yakhshiboev saw visitors BGU take the honours in this one and defeat league leaders Slutsk in the process.  The hosts had begin the season well and had five wins from their seven games thus far, but the visitors, knowing a win would take them into second for the time being, were the better side for the early exchanges and went in front after Yakhshiboev slotted home from the spot in the 17^th minute following a foul inside the box.  It then got even better for the visitors when another foul inside the box saw the same man convert another spot kick just before the half hour mark, and the hosts were being outplayed in this one.  Slutsk needed a spark, and they got it four minutes before the break when Muhammed ghosted in behind the defence to plant an unstoppable effort into the net, and the league leaders had a lifeline.  Things got tougher for BGU with twenty minutes to go when Mosokhanian was given a second yellow for a foul and dismissed meaning the visitors would have to play the remainder of the contest a man light, but despite this they held on to earn a decent three points against the early pacesetters of the division.  It means for now BGU slot into second place, a point behind Slutsk at the summit of the division, although both could be leapfrogged if results go against them tomorrow and Sunday.


The second game of Friday came from the Gorodeya Stadium as local side Gorodeya welcomed Minsk, so here is what happened here: -

Gorodeya 1 Minsk 1
The points were shared in this one after neither side could find a second half winner at the Gorodeya Stadium.  Both sides came into this one with mixed results after seven games, both having won three but sitting tenth and twelfth in the division, the upper bottom half of the table basically, but a win for either could see them climb into the top six.  After twenty minutes the visitors drew first blood when nice football saw Khvashinksiy slotted in and the striker sent a composed finish beyond the keeper into the net, but a minute before half time the hosts levelled after a corner was headed home well by Sajcic.  The superb half time dance music from the stadium PA certainly whipped up the vocal crowd, but neither side could muster up a winner although both did have openings in the goalless second period, but alas the game ended all square, moving the hosts up three places to seventh, whilst Minsk climb two places into tenth.  But both will most likely drop places after the weekend games.


So my first taste of Belarusian Premier League football, enjoyed it and look forward to the remaining games this weekend, which are as follows: -

Saturday 9^th May
Slavia Vs Torpedo BelAZ (1pm)
Neman Grodno Vs Ruh Brest (3pm)

Sunday 10^th May
Isloch Vs Belshina (12pm)
Vitebsk Vs Shakhtyor (2pm)
Smolevichy-STI Vs BATE (4pm)
Dinamo Brest Vs Dinamo Minsk (6pm)

Here is the table after today’s games: -

Well that’s all for now, ill be back with Saturday’s blog tomorrow evening, and remember, if you want to watch any of these games just go to https://www.youtube.com/user/abffvideo where you can find the live games, so go check it out.