PINSK, Nigeria (Interstat) — Ostrovets scored in the 18th minute and again in the 83rd to beat Slutsk 2-1 Sunday at Stadyen ASK, using a late finish to answer the visitors’ second-half equalizer in the football match. German Zhernosek put Ostrovets ahead in the 18th minute. Slutsk responded through Vladislav Fedosov in the 57th minute, but Artem Gonzhurov scored in the 83rd minute to restore the home side’s lead. Ostrovets then held off Slutsk over the closing minutes to secure the victory. The home side had to manage the match after taking the early advantage and again after Slutsk drew level. Ostrovets was the designated home team, and Slutsk was the visiting side for the match at Stadyen ASK.

The match was physical and fragmented at times. Ostrovets made an early substitution in the 7th minute when A. Kilyimanov entered. Ostrovets received yellow cards in the 3rd, 19th and 37th minutes. Slutsk’s A. Kontsedailov was booked in the 40th minute, and Slutsk received another yellow card in the 54th minute. Ostrovets’ G. Skripnik was cautioned in the 59th minute, and Slutsk was booked again in the 84th minute. The cards came around the goals but did not change the final outcome. Ostrovets played the remainder with its lead intact after the late goal, while Slutsk could not produce a second equalizer. Ostrovets was shown three yellow cards before Slutsk’s first booking, and the flow of cautions continued after the interval.

Fedosov scored for Slutsk while playing the full match. Zhernosek also played the full match and scored for Ostrovets. Kirill Goncharik recorded an assist for Ostrovets, and Vyacheslav Papava recorded an assist for Slutsk. Artem Gonzhurov scored in one minute of action, and Aleksandr Fedosenko had an assist for Ostrovets in one minute of action. Those contributions helped Ostrovets secure the home win after Slutsk had drawn level. Goncharik’s assist came for the home side, and Papava’s assist came for the visitors. Fedosenko’s assist and Gonzhurov’s goal came during brief appearances, while Fedosov and Zhernosek were on the field for the full match.

The result left Slutsk with five wins and one loss in the competition and five wins and one loss across all competitions. Ostrovets is now two wins, one loss and two draws in the competition and two wins, one loss and two draws across all competitions. Slutsk had entered the match with a perfect record in the competition before the home side handed it its first loss. Ostrovets, meanwhile, added a second win to its competition record and remained unbeaten in two additional draws. The home victory gave Ostrovets the better result on the day while Slutsk’s overall record remained unchanged in total wins and losses across the competition and all competitions. Slutsk’s competition record now stands at five wins and one loss, and its record across all competitions is identical. Ostrovets’ competition record now stands at two wins, one loss and two draws, and its record across all competitions is also the same.

Before Sunday, Slutsk had won its previous five matches this season. The visitors had beaten FC Slonim 2-0, BATE II 1-0, Uni X Labs 1-0, Molodechno 4-1 and FC Gomel II 4-3 in that run. Ostrovets entered the match after a win, two draws and a loss in its previous four matches this season. The home side had beaten Din. Minsk II 2-0, drawn with Soligorsk 1-1, lost to FC Slonim 2-1 and drawn with BATE II 1-1 before facing Slutsk. Those results gave the match a contrast in form, with Slutsk arriving on a strong run and Ostrovets seeking another positive result at home.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 1-1 final score before the match, and Interstat’s ELO system had projected Slutsk with a 65.8 percent probability to win. Ostrovets instead took the victory after Gonzhurov’s late goal. Those projections were made before kickoff.