Neman moved up the table with a 2-0 victory over Naftan in the Premier League. The result came in the 19th round of the regular season on 22 August. Naftan remain rooted to 16th place while Neman consolidate seventh.
And here's the thing — the opening goal arrived almost immediately. R. Lisakovich found the net in the second minute, catching Naftan before they could settle. The early strike changed the tempo from the outset.
P. Savitskiy doubled the advantage at the 26-minute mark. By then Naftan had already shown they could not cope with Neman's movement. The hosts offered little in reply.
Substitutions followed in the usual pattern. M. Kravtsov and O. Evdokimov came on together at 46 minutes. A. Savitskiy, R. Lisakovich, D. Girs, P. Savitskiy, V. Yakovlev, M. Aymanov and K. Adamovich completed the changes, with Adamovich entering at 88 minutes.
The statistics tell a story of control. Neman held 54 per cent possession and registered three shots on target against one. Naftan managed only a single effort on goal despite equal corner counts of five each.
To be fair, the gap in the table now stretches wider. Neman sit 20 points clear of Naftan's 10, having played one fewer match. The visitors extended a run that includes victories over Minsk and Shakhtyor Soligorsk, while Naftan's recent form has been uneven.