Soligorsk beat Novopolotsk 7-3 in the Extraleague on Thursday, 11 September. The hosts took all three points after a second meeting between the sides in two days, having won 5-2 on 9 September. The result leaves Soligorsk third and Novopolotsk eleventh in the standings, though both clubs sit on zero points after just one match.
We had called Soligorsk for this one, with 67 per cent confidence. The confidence came from their form — five consecutive wins across all competitions — and the way they played the first encounter. They came out on top again, and not by a narrow margin this time. The scoreline told a similar story to the earlier game, only more emphatic.
Soligorsk did not travel to make up the numbers. Their recent run includes a 7-2 victory over Gomel and a 4-3 win against Vitebsk, and they carried that momentum into the second meeting with Novopolotsk. The visitors, by contrast, had lost their opening game 5-2 to Soligorsk and followed it with a 3-2 defeat to Gomel. They came in looking to respond and found themselves chasing again.
The old head settled things down for Soligorsk. They controlled the tempo from the start and did not let Novopolotsk get any rhythm. The visitors managed three goals, which is more than they scored in their previous game against Soligorsk, but it was not enough to trouble the hosts. The match was never really in doubt after the opening exchanges.
The result extends Soligorsk's winning streak to six games and brings them closer to the top of the table, even if the points total does not yet reflect it. Novopolotsk remain at the bottom with a negative goal difference and nothing to show for their efforts so far. Cup football has its own rules, but this was straight league play and the outcome was clear enough.