Naftan beat Arsenal 3-0 in the Premier League's regular season, round 17, on Thursday 7 August 2026. The hosts' victory lifted them off the bottom of the table while Arsenal's slim hopes of a top-half finish took a knock. It was a result that nobody was expecting before kickoff.
Vadim Yakovlev opened the scoring in the 28th minute, and Igor Pranovich doubled the advantage just before the interval with a second. Arsenal made three changes at the break, bringing on Voskoboynikov and Matveev alongside Seleznev, who immediately made his mark by scoring in the 46th minute. Things came to a head when the visitors thought they had a chance to get back into it, but Naftan held firm.
Golden Mafwenta picked up a booking in the 62nd minute for a late challenge, and Seleznev was replaced in the 74th minute after his brief cameo. Naftan brought on Chernyavskiy and Oreshkevich in the 81st minute, then substituted Pranovich in the 88th minute as they saw out the game without allowing Arsenal to build any momentum.
By then the statistics told a familiar story. Arsenal held 58 per cent possession and won 10 corners to Naftan's four, yet Naftan were more efficient in front of goal. The visitors registered five shots on target compared to three, but Naftan's three goals from eight attempts on target meant they took their chances while Arsenal's efficiency of 31 per cent on target shots went for nothing.
The win moves Naftan to 10 points from 21 games, three places above where they started the season. Arsenal remain 12th with 22 points, but the gap between them and the relegation zone has narrowed. It was the kind of result that keeps fans talking about what could have been different.