Veles vs Leningradets

Veles Moscow finally shook off a rival that had frustrated them for years, edging past Leningradets 2-1 at the Avangard Stadium in Domodedovo. It took a clinical second-half burst to settle a match that was goalless and tight through the opening 45 minutes. Oleg Smirnov broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute, and Vladislav Galkin doubled the lead just five minutes later to put Veles firmly in control. Leningradets pulled one back deep into stoppage time through Maksim Bachinskiy, but it was too little, too late. Galkin and Artemiy Ukomskiy were booked for the hosts, while Olivier Kenfack picked up a yellow for the visitors. The win lifts Veles Moscow to 12 points from five games and finally ends a run of five straight head-to-head matches without victory over Leningradets. For Leningradets, stuck on four points, it's a familiar story: battling spirit undone by a costly second-half lapse.