Niva moved to the summit of the First League after beating Energetik-BGU 2:1 on Saturday in regular season 19. The result leaves them four points clear at the top of the table, while the visitors drop further behind in fourth place. To be fair, the margin was narrow enough to suggest the game could have gone either way until the decisive moments arrived.
A. Slivin opened the scoring in the 37th minute, giving Niva a lead they would not relinquish. D. Fedortsov equalised for Energetik-BGU just four minutes later, and the visitors thought they had turned the tie around. By then the momentum had shifted, and D. Galuza restored Niva's advantage in the 52nd minute with a strike that proved decisive.
Discipline was tested throughout the encounter, with three yellow cards shown. N. Knyshev received his caution in the 32nd minute, followed by A. Kuratnik at 42 minutes. A fourth card was issued at 71 minutes, though no name was recorded for the incident. The refereeing kept control without letting the game spiral out of hand.
Niva arrived in confident form, having won three of their last five matches and only losing once in that span. Energetik-BGU's recent run was less convincing, with two defeats among their last five outings, including heavy losses to Слуцк and Шахтёр Солигорск. The contrast in momentum was visible from the first whistle.
The victory extends Niva's lead at the top to four points, while Energetik-BGU now face a longer climb back into contention. The gap between first and fourth place is growing, and the visitors will need to find consistency if they want to close it. And here's the thing — such margins in this league are rarely recovered without a string of results, not a single performance.