Naftan took all three points from Slavia Mozyr in the Premier League's regular season round 23, winning 1-0 on Saturday. The match ended with a single goal that changed everything, and it came when Slavia had the most to lose. We had backed the hosts with 72 per cent confidence, but the game went another way entirely.
The Turning Point
And here's the thing — it all hinged on minute six. Andrey Solovey stepped up to take a penalty for Slavia and missed, while Denis Sadovsky picked up a booking in the same period. That moment shifted the psychology of the game, and by then Naftan knew they had something to hold onto. Slavia pressed harder, but Naftan tightened things up when it mattered.
The hosts dominated possession at 69 per cent and won 14 corners to three, yet they could only find the target seven times from 24 attempts. Naftan were clinical in comparison, registering four shots on target with perfect accuracy. The visitors blocked nothing and had zero off-target efforts, which tells you they kept it simple and took their one chance.
Artem Drabatovich put Naftan ahead in the 50th minute, and from that point the visitors managed the game. Slavia brought on Andrei Shemruk and Denis Fedorenko at the hour mark, then added Aleksandr Dzhigero and Nikita Melnikov later, but they could not break through. Naftan responded with their own changes, bringing on Timur Galimzyanov at 73 minutes and G. Mafwenta at the end.
The result leaves Slavia in 10th place on 25 points from 21 games, while Naftan sit 16th with 11 points after 22 matches. The hosts lost their unbeaten run at home, having drawn with Gomel and beaten Vitebsk in their previous outings. Naftan's victory came after a difficult spell that included three defeats in a row, but they showed they could compete when it counted.
