Sioni Bolnisi claimed a hard-fought 2:1 victory over Telavi in the Erovnuli Liga 2 regular season on Friday. The result lifted the home side from sixth place, while Telavi remained second in the table with four points separating the two sides.
Telavi took the lead through Leo Silva in the twenty-eighth minute, moving quickly after an early yellow card for A. Huskic. By then the visitors had already established their rhythm, though Sioni pushed back with determination.
D. Brazhko equalised three minutes later, giving the home crowd something to celebrate. The match fractured into a series of stops and starts, with four yellow cards going to Sioni and two to Telavi as tempers frayed.
And here's the thing about this match: it was decided in the dying moments. A. Huskic scored in the ninety-second minute to rescue a point, but D. Brazhko saw red two minutes later for a second booking. One mistake ends it, and that was precisely what happened.
The statistics tell a different story from the result. Telavi dominated possession at sixty-one per cent and created eight corners to Sioni's four, yet both sides registered over one hundred attacks. Many shots with one goal means chances went begging, and that price has gone for the visitors.
Telavi sit second with forty points from twenty-three games, while Sioni have twenty-three points and need to find consistency. The hosts cannot afford another slip if they want to climb the table, and that red card will only make their task harder.