Dinamo Batumi saw off Saburtalo 2-0 in the Erovnuli League's regular season round 25, played on 9 September 2026. The hosts kept themselves in second place while the visitors remained fourth, though the gap in games played tells a different story. To be fair, points alone do not tell you everything about a season.
Maurides Roque Junior opened the scoring in the 62nd minute, finishing a move that had been building since the break. Dinamo had been patient, waiting for the right moment rather than throwing everything at it from the whistle. Saburtalo responded with more possession but few clear avenues.
The visitors controlled 51 per cent of the ball, yet managed just one shot on target compared to Dinamo's seven. By then the pattern was clear enough — Saburtalo worked the channels but could not spring a surprise in the final third. Three yellow cards for the away side showed they were feeling the pressure.
Guram Japaridze doubled the lead in the 87th minute, putting the result beyond doubt. Bakar Kardava picked up a second yellow in the 90th and was sent off, leaving Saburtalo to finish the match a man down. And here's the thing — the red card came after the game had been decided, which tells you something about how the match had been played.
The statistics sit uneasily beside the result. Saburtalo dominated possession but wasted their chances, while Dinamo took theirs when it mattered. Shots off target were eight to six in the visitors' favour, but that does not mean much when you cannot get on target.
Dinamo sit second with 40 points from 24 games, one win away from matching Saburtalo's record of 11 victories. The visitors have two fewer matches but cannot catch up without a run of results that would feel unlikely after this display. A derby with no love lost, perhaps, but one where the hosts held every card.