Araqvi Dusheti edged past Gori 1-0 in the twenty-second round of the Erovnuli Liga 2 on Saturday evening. T. Bzekalava's first-half goal proved enough to separate the two sides at the stadium. The result keeps the home side above their visitors in the table.
And here's the thing — the decisive moment came before the break. Bzekalava found space and finished, giving Dusheti a lead they would not surrender. A. Koberidze picked up a yellow card early on, seven minutes in, which may have set a cautious tone. Gori responded with more urgency after the restart, pushing for an equaliser.
Coaches made changes almost as soon as the second half began. Mamulashvili, Koberidze and Ninidze came off together at the interval, while Gori brought on Sirbiladze and Gazdeliani around the hour mark. Amoako entered for Dusheti in the sixty-eighth minute, Kobakhidze followed later. Chokheli's yellow card at fifty-two minutes came as Gori threw men forward.
The statistics tell a familiar story: Gori dominated possession and created more. They registered 162 attacks compared with Dusheti's 115, and won seven corners to five. Yet the visitors could not convert that pressure into a goal. One mistake ends it, and Dusheti's defence held firm when it mattered.
By then the home side had extended their recent good run. They beat Gareji 2-0 last week and had won three of their previous five matches. Gori, meanwhile, lost to Samtredia on their last outing and sit nine places behind Dusheti on 22 points. The gap between them remains clear.