ZHODZINA, Belarus (Interstat) — Aleksandr Lomovitskiy scored in the 10th minute and Alexander Frantsuzov added a goal in the 45th as Zhodino defeated Belshina 3-0 on Sunday at Stadyen Tarpeda. Zhodino set the tone with an early goal and carried a two-goal lead into halftime. Belshina could not find a response after the break, and the home side finished with three goals while keeping the visitors off the scoreboard. The result gave Zhodino a second straight home victory in the competition and left Belshina still searching for consistency. Zhodino’s early pressure paid off when Lomovitskiy opened the scoring, and Frantsuzov doubled the advantage just before the interval.

Lomovitskiy was on the field for all 90 minutes and scored once. Frantsuzov played 69 minutes and scored once, while Timothy Sharkovsky also played 69 minutes and recorded an assist. The opening goal came when Zhodino broke through in the 10th minute, and Frantsuzov’s strike just before the interval gave the hosts a firm grip on the match. Belshina made early changes in an attempt to alter the flow, with substitutions in the 24th, 37th and 46th minutes and another in the 61st. Zhodino began its substitutions in the 69th minute and used five changes over the closing stretch. Zhodino replaced Frantsuzov and Sharkovsky in the 69th, brought on Zhulpa and Bykov in the 76th and introduced Melko in the 82nd.

Discipline became a factor as well. Zhodino’s V. Pobudey was shown a yellow card in the 14th minute. In the 48th minute, Belshina’s N. Sokolovskiy and Zhodino’s A. Zaleskiy both were booked. Sokolovskiy received a second yellow card in the 70th minute, leaving Belshina with a harder task as it tried to rally. The match remained without a Belshina goal after halftime, and Zhodino protected its advantage while the visitors’ chances of a comeback faded. Belshina’s substitutions offered fresh legs, but the visitors could not turn them into a goal. The yellow cards interrupted the flow of a match Zhodino controlled through its first-half scoring.

The victory improved Zhodino’s record in the competition to 3-2 and its record across all competitions to 3-3. Belshina fell to 1-4 in the competition and 1-5 overall. Zhodino’s recent form had included a loss at Slavia Mozyr and a home win over Naftan, while Belshina had dropped recent matches to Din. Minsk and Slavia Mozyr. The home side’s three-goal output was enough to secure the result, with Belshina unable to convert its chances. Zhodino also benefited from a balanced scoring effort and an assist from Sharkovsky, while Lomovitskiy’s full shift helped the hosts close out the match. The clean sheet gave the hosts a comfortable finish after the early advantage.

Belshina’s campaign has been difficult on both fronts. Before Sunday, the visitors had beaten BATE but lost to Din. Minsk, Slavia Mozyr, Naftan and FC Gomel. Zhodino, meanwhile, had beaten Naftan and FC Minsk while losing to Slavia Mozyr, ML Vitebsk and Torpedo Moscow. The three-goal margin gave Zhodino its third win of the competition and its third win across all competitions. Belshina remained at one win in the competition and one win across all competitions. The home side’s ability to score in the first half proved decisive, and Belshina’s discipline issues complicated its attempts to respond. The visitors made four substitutions before Zhodino made its first change, but the adjustments did not produce a goal.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Zhodino 2, Belshina 1. Its ELO system gave Zhodino a 61.3 percent probability to win. Zhodino had been installed as the pregame favorite with a spread of -0.5. The total score of 3 went under the over/under line of 2.5.