Baranavichy saw off Slavutych 6:0 on Thursday in the Extraleague, a result that tells you more about form than it does about the table. Both sides arrive with identical records — four games, zero points — and yet the gap between them widened considerably on this evening. To be fair, Slavutych had looked vulnerable in recent outings, conceding eight and six goals in succession before this one.
The visitors hit and kept hitting. Slavutych found no answer to a side that had already beaten them 8:4 just two days prior. By then, the pattern was clear: Baranavichy kept knocking on the door and eventually the door gave way. And here's the thing about matches like this — they rarely turn on a single moment, but on a series of small failures.
We had backed Slavutych to win, confidence at 77 per cent, but the match went the other way entirely. What broke the prediction was the same thing that has broken them in recent games: defending in transitions. They got dragged out of position, again and again, and Baranavichy punished them from every opportunity.
The table remains frozen at zero points for both clubs, which means nothing at all this early. What matters is momentum. Baranavichy have now won two of three against Slavutych this season, including the away fixture on the 16th. Slavutych, meanwhile, have lost four of five and sit eighth with no points to their name.
It was a one-way affair from start to finish. The hosts will need to address several areas before their next fixture, not least the defensive structure that has unravelled in three consecutive games. Baranavichy, by contrast, finally looked like a side that knows how to finish what it starts.