KEDA, Georgia (Interstat) — Loco. Tbilisi scored three unanswered goals and defeated SK Betlemi Keda 3-0 on Thursday at Tsentraluri Stadioni. The visiting side opened the scoring in the 17th minute, doubled its lead in the 20th and added a third goal in the 84th while holding the home team scoreless. Loco. Tbilisi improved to 2 wins and 1 loss in this competition and to 2 wins and 1 loss across all competitions. SK Betlemi Keda moved to 1 win and 2 losses in this competition and to 1 win and 2 losses across all competitions. The result gave Loco. Tbilisi a second win in its third match of the competition and left SK Betlemi Keda with one win in three matches.

Davit Samurkasovi put Loco. Tbilisi ahead in the 17th minute. Saba Kakulia scored in the 20th minute to make the lead 2-0. Both goals came before the midway point of the first half and forced SK Betlemi Keda to play from behind. Samurkasovi, Kakulia and Iusib Mekhtievi each played 90 minutes and scored once for Loco. Tbilisi. Mekhtievi’s goal arrived in the 84th minute, restoring a three-goal margin after Loco. Tbilisi had been reduced to 10 men. The goals from Samurkasovi and Kakulia gave the visitors a cushion before the break, and Loco. Tbilisi carried that lead into the second half.

The red card came in the 69th minute, when T. Shonia of Loco. Tbilisi was sent off. Despite playing with 10 men for the final stretch, Loco. Tbilisi kept SK Betlemi Keda from scoring and added its third goal through Mekhtievi in the 84th minute. SK Betlemi Keda did not score in the match. Loco. Tbilisi’s defense held through the closing minutes and preserved the shutout. The home side remained without a goal after the early deficit and could not cut into the lead before Mekhtievi’s late finish. Loco. Tbilisi played the final 21 minutes of regulation with a one-man disadvantage and still maintained its clean sheet.

Loco. Tbilisi had lost 2-1 to SK Merani Tbilisi in its previous match and had beaten SK Didube 3-1 before that. SK Betlemi Keda had lost 8-0 to SK Iveria Khashuri in its previous match and had beaten SK Iberia 2010 2-1 before that. The visitors carried the lead from the 17th minute onward and never trailed. SK Betlemi Keda could not turn its home advantage into a score. Loco. Tbilisi added another goal quickly after the opener and controlled the scoreboard the rest of the way. The shutout followed a previous match in which Loco. Tbilisi conceded twice and lost by one goal.

The competition and overall records for both clubs are now identical after the result. Loco. Tbilisi’s two wins and one loss in the competition match its overall mark, while SK Betlemi Keda’s one win and two losses also match its overall record. Loco. Tbilisi previously lost to SK Merani Tbilisi and won at SK Didube. SK Betlemi Keda previously lost to SK Iveria Khashuri and won against SK Iberia 2010. The game was played at Tsentraluri Stadioni, with SK Betlemi Keda as the home team and Loco. Tbilisi as the visiting team. Both clubs will carry those records into their next competition matches.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Loco. Tbilisi 3, SK Betlemi Keda 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected SK Betlemi Keda with a 56 percent probability to win. Loco. Tbilisi had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -4.5. The total score of 3 went over the over/under line of 5.