FC Slutsk vs Neman Match Recap - Oct 15, 2025
FC Slutsk stun Neman in dramatic finish, claim vital win to halt their Premier League slide at Stadyen Haradski
On a brisk autumn afternoon at Stadyen Haradski, FC Slutsk delivered a performance that defied both recent form and historical precedent, edging past eighth-place Neman with an emotional 2-1 victory that offered a rare glimmer of hope in a season beset by disappointment.
Few would have predicted such drama from a side mired 15th in the Belarus Premier League table, having claimed only three wins all year and entering the contest with just a single point from their last five outings. FC Slutsk’s last league victory had faded into distant memory, eclipsed by a string of listless defeats and offensive frailty—just 11 goals scored in 23 matches, a record that speaks for itself.
But football thrives on its capacity to surprise, and Slutsk seized their moment early. Just seven minutes into the contest, Aleksandr Anufriev found space inside the area and dispatched a crisp finish, giving the hosts a shock lead and injecting new life into a stadium all too accustomed to resignation. For Slutsk, the goal represented something more than a fleeting advantage; it was a rare assertion of control, the kind of start the team has desperately lacked through a fallow autumn stretch that saw them blanked in four of their previous five matches.
Neman, whose own campaign has featured more highs than lows but suffered from recent inconsistency, responded with the urgency expected of a club pushing for European places. Possession and territory gradually tilted in their favor, their attack orchestrated by the ever-dangerous Egor Zubovich, who registered two goals in his last three league appearances. Yet for all their pressure, Neman’s finishing belied their ambition; Slutsk’s defense held firm, a notable turnaround for a unit that had conceded 36 times by October.
The match’s tempo softened as the second half wore on, with frustration mounting among Neman supporters witnessing their side struggle to translate intent into equalizer. The visitors’ record away from home—just three wins from their last ten trips—was beginning to show. That trend would haunt them again as Slutsk’s resolve grew in direct proportion to the clock’s inexorable march.
Then, with the game drifting towards a nervy finale, Artem Sokolovskiy delivered the defining moment. In the 88th minute, capitalizing on a defensive lapse, Sokolovskiy lashed home Slutsk’s second, sparking wild scenes on the touchline and in the stands. Against the backdrop of a season so often defined by late concessions and missed chances, this was a cathartic reversal—a late goal that, just for once, belonged to the team in blue.
There remained time for late drama. As added minutes ticked away, Neman launched one final incursion into the box, earning a penalty that Egor Zubovich coolly converted on 90 minutes. The flawless strike cut Slutsk’s lead in half, but it did little to alter the mood: Slutsk held on, ending a winless run and exacting a measure of revenge that was long overdue.
The result reverberated beyond the confines of Stadyen Haradski. For Slutsk, the win brought them to 14 points—still perilously close to the bottom, but now only six adrift of Smorgon in 14th, with hope for avoiding the drop momentarily rekindled. For Neman, it was a missed opportunity to bolster their chase for a top-six finish; their spot at eighth now appears vulnerable, with four clubs within six points and their away-day fragility refusing to abate.
Context sharpens the significance of Slutsk’s triumph. This was a fixture Neman had come to dominate, having taken five of their last six head-to-heads—including a 2-1 win last April and a 2-0 victory last October. FC Slutsk’s rare success will not erase memories of those one-sided encounters, but the manner of it—a commanding lead, a late insurance goal, and a defiant stand against a late penalty—may yet mark a pivot in what has threatened to become a lost season.
No red cards marred the contest; discipline held, and the battle played out in full, allowing Slutsk a complete performance to savor. As both teams look ahead, the stakes remain high. Slutsk must harness this momentum, knowing relegation remains a clear and present danger with high-scoring outfits still to be faced. Neman, meanwhile, will need urgent answers to their travel woes if they are to reassert themselves among Belarus’s elite. The fixture list promises little respite—and after today’s upset, the league’s bottom dwellers may sense the door has been left just ajar.