Arsenal fell to a 1-2 defeat against Minsk in the Regular Season round 16 fixture on Friday evening. The visitors took all three points despite the hosts enjoying more possession throughout the contest. The result moves Minsk further clear of their opponents in the standings.
Minsk struck first through Alexander Ksenofontov, who found the net in the 16th minute. Arsenal responded well and levelled before half-time, with their goal coming in the 43rd minute from Artem Migdalenok. The hosts thought they had seized control but Minsk grabbed a late winner when Vladislav Gorbachik scored in the 62nd minute.
Substitutions came thick and fast after the interval. Arsenal brought on Andrei Zaleskiy in the 60th minute, followed by Dmitri Antilevskiy and Nikita Kaplenko. Minsk responded with three changes of their own, bringing on Konstantin Kuchinskiy, Aleksandr Ksenofontov, and another fresh face as they looked to see out the game.
Statistics told a story of Arsenal's dominance without the ball yielding the result. The hosts held 55 per cent possession and registered four corners to Minsk's five. Arsenal managed three shots on target with 33 per cent accuracy, while Minsk were less clinical with just three attempts on target at 25 per cent accuracy.
The defeat leaves Arsenal in 12th place with 22 points from 21 games. They have won five, drawn seven and lost nine so far this season. Minsk meanwhile sit eighth with 31 points, having secured nine victories and suffered eight defeats in the same number of outings.