Norilsk beat Soligorsk 3-2 in a club friendly on 15 August 2026. The result gives the hosts a narrow victory in what was their first competitive fixture since their run of results in March.
Soligorsk arrived with mixed form, having lost 1-3 to Brest on 12 August after winning 4-3 against Baranovichi two days earlier. They had also taken a point from Nem Grodno with a 1-2 defeat, suggesting they were finding rhythm but not yet consistent.
Norilsk's recent record showed more stability. They beat Tambov 1-0 on 8 March and followed that with a 3-1 win over Rostov six days later. The 4-2 victory against Kaluga on 11 August, just four days before this match, indicated they were peaking at the right time.
And here's the thing about friendlies — you don't always get the full picture. The 3-2 scoreline doesn't tell us about possession, shots, or who dominated which period. All we have is the result and what both sides brought into it.
To be fair, Norilsk's recent form suggested they would be the firmer side. Three wins and two losses in their last five before this friendly, including that convincing 4-2 over Kaluga, painted a clearer picture than Soligorsk's alternating results.
The match ended 3-2 to Norilsk. By then, the visitors had already shown they could score — four goals against Baranovichi, five against Molodechno — but conceding three in this fixture meant they couldn't convert their attacking threat into a point.
For Norilsk, the victory extends their momentum from the Kaluga game. Soligorsk's run of mixed results continues, though they still have plenty of time to find consistency before the competitive season begins.