Neman Grodno — Baranavichy, Belarusian Cup

Neman Grodno saw off Baranavichy 4-0 in the Cup of Belarus on Wednesday evening. The hosts made no mistake at home, while the visitors had nothing to show for their efforts on the road. and here's the thing — this was not a contest that required much explanation. Baranavichy came into the fixture with a string of results that suggested they were still finding their feet. They had beaten Лида 5-3 and 5-2 in consecutive outings, but those were followed by a 0-4 defeat to Солигорск. Neman Grodno, meanwhile, had picked up five wins from six league games before this cup tie. They had also lost 2-6 to Юность Минск in one of their earlier matches, so this was not a side that played without vulnerability. The scoreline told the story without needing minute-by-minute detail. Нeman dominated possession of the encounter, though the exact figures are not available. What is clear is that they camped in the final third for much of the ninety minutes and Baranavichy rarely threatened to break away. by then the visitors had already conceded enough to know the game was over. There is little to add about the standings. Both sides sit on zero points despite having played six matches each, which tells us the league phase has either just begun or the points system works differently here. to be fair — the cup result does not change anything in that regard. Neman Grodno move on with their campaign, while Baranavichy will need to regroup. The visitors had shown promise against Лида but could not carry that momentum into this fixture. One match does not make a season, but it certainly reveals where a side stands on a given day.