Match Report
Neftchi saw off Anzhyan 0:3 in the Superliga's regular season round 17 on Wednesday. The visitors moved clear at the top of the table while Anzhyan's winless run stretched to four matches across all competitions. And here's the thing — the result felt inevitable from the moment U. Ismonaliev was sent off before half-time.
The turning point came at the 50th minute when Ismonaliev received his second booking and was dismissed. Anzhyan had already lost Ratinho to substitution twenty minutes earlier, a change that seemed to unsettle their shape. Neftchi took advantage quickly, with A. Odilov finding the net in the 53rd minute to restore calm.
The visitors doubled their lead when S. Perica scored in the 81st minute, then added a second from the same player just two minutes later. K. Kouao completed the scoring with a brace in stoppage time, hitting the net in the 90th and 92nd minutes. To be fair, Anzhyan never really threatened despite their energy in the final quarter.
Both sides shared possession evenly at 50 per cent, though the statistics told a different story. Neftchi registered seven shots on target compared to four, while Anzhyan wasted eleven shots off target. The hosts managed seven corners to the visitors' four, but their attacks lacked direction once the red card changed the match.
Neftchi now sit four points clear at the summit with 45 from 20 games, while Anzhyan remain in eighth place on 27 points. The gap between them has widened to 18 points, and by then it was clear the title race was slipping away from the home side.