MINSK (Interstat) — Minsk FK W scored four times in the first half and defeated Vitebsk W 4-1 on Wednesday, using a fast start to take control of the home match. Minsk FK W opened the scoring early, added a second goal inside the first 10 minutes and answered Vitebsk W’s only goal with two more strikes before halftime. Vitebsk W never led and could not recover after falling behind by two goals early.

Alexandra Samoilova gave Minsk FK W the lead in the sixth minute. Daria Protasyuk doubled the advantage in the 10th minute, four minutes after Vitebsk W’s A. Sidorchuk received a yellow card in the ninth minute. Vitebsk W responded through Y. Duben, who scored in the 20th minute to make it 2-1. Minsk FK W then restored its two-goal cushion when Yana Khotyreva scored in the 33rd minute. Maria Demidova added Minsk FK W’s fourth goal in the 40th minute, sending the home side into halftime with a 4-1 lead.

The second half produced no further goals. Minsk FK W held its advantage through the final whistle, and Vitebsk W could not produce another goal after Duben’s first-half strike. Sidorchuk’s ninth-minute booking was the only yellow card in the match. Duben scored Vitebsk W’s only goal. Samoilova, Protasyuk, Khotyreva and Demidova each scored once for Minsk FK W.

The second half was scoreless, and neither side produced another goal after Demidova’s 40th-minute strike. Minsk FK W protected its three-goal margin and closed out the match. Vitebsk W was unable to cut into the deficit after Duben’s goal. Sidorchuk’s yellow card in the ninth minute remained the only caution of the game.

Minsk FK W’s attacking start produced goals in the sixth and 10th minutes before Vitebsk W found a response. Duben’s 20th-minute goal made the score 2-1, but Minsk FK W scored twice more before the break. Khotyreva’s 33rd-minute goal and Demidova’s 40th-minute finish gave the home side a 4-1 halftime lead. The visiting side could not answer those goals in the second half.

The result moved Minsk FK W to two wins and no losses in the competition and two wins and no losses across all competitions. Vitebsk W fell to no wins and one loss in the competition and no wins and one loss across all competitions. Minsk FK W had entered the match after a 10-0 win at FC Gomel W in its previous result this season. Vitebsk W remained without a win in the competition and across all competitions after the home side’s first-half surge.

Minsk FK W’s scoring began with Samoilova’s sixth-minute goal and continued with Protasyuk’s finish in the 10th. After Duben pulled one back for Vitebsk W in the 20th, Khotyreva scored in the 33rd and Demidova closed the first-half scoring in the 40th. The home side did not add to its total after halftime, but its four-goal first half provided a sufficient margin. The home side’s four-goal first half remained the decisive stretch of the match, and Vitebsk W could not build on Duben’s goal after the interval.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Minsk FK W 3, Vitebsk W 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Vitebsk W with a 67.4 percent probability to win.