Neftchi Baku vs Dinamo Minsk

Neftchi Baku exploded out of the blocks. E. Mahmudov opened the scoring inside two minutes, converting after Klismahn carved open the Dinamo defence. Six minutes later, a disastrous own goal from A. Selyava doubled the home side's lead — Neftchi led 2-0 with barely a quarter of an hour played.

But Dinamo Minsk regrouped. Vardanyan pulled one back in the 36th minute, finishing from E. Malashevich's pass, and the visitors went into half-time trailing 2-1.

Whatever manager Vadim Skripchenko said at the break worked instantly. Within two minutes of the restart, Malashevich turned scorer, finishing after Vardanyan returned the favour. The scores were level at 2-2.

Vardanyan completed his brace in the 57th minute, M. Djimet providing the assist, and G. Alykulov added a fourth in the 77th minute — tucking home the rebound after his own penalty was saved.

Malashevich's equaliser 47 seconds into the second half. Neftchi Baku had weathered the storm after Vardanyan's first goal and would have been content to reach the break still ahead. But the swift strike so early in the second period shattered their game plan, forced further attacking substitutions, and opened the space for Vardanyan to score again within ten minutes.

K. Vardanyan (Dinamo Minsk) — Two goals and an assist. The 25-year-old midfielder was unplayable from the 36th minute onwards, drifting into pockets between Neftchi's midfield and defence and linking play brilliantly. Player of the Match.

E. Malashevich (Dinamo Minsk) — A goal and an assist of his own. His movement wide on the right caused constant problems, and his well-taken equaliser was the moment the tie swung.

G. Alykulov (Dinamo Minsk) — Scored the fourth despite missing his penalty. Composed finish on the rebound to cap the scoring.

E. Mahmudov (Neftchi Baku) — Scored the early opener and looked lively before being substituted on the hour mark. His early goal promised much but Neftchi could not build on it.

Neftchi Baku's 2-0 lead after eight minutes suggested a home side in control, but the underlying picture was less convincing. Dinamo Minsk grew into the half after the 20-minute mark and created three clear chances before Vardanyan's first goal. The second-half shift was stark: Dinamo scored twice in the opening 12 minutes of the half, and Neftchi's five substitutions between the 46th and 66th minutes — including the withdrawal of goalscorer Mahmudov — betrayed a side chasing the game without a coherent plan.

Neftchi's two yellow cards (Sacko 54', and the earlier booking for Dinamo's Abdullahi) reflected a team that had lost control of the midfield battle. Dinamo's 4-2-3-1 found increasing space between the lines as the game wore on, and Vardanyan's movement was the key that unlocked it.

Dinamo Minsk take a commanding two-goal lead into the second leg of this UEFA Europa Conference League second qualifying round tie. For Neftchi Baku, the task is daunting: they must win by at least two clear goals in the away leg, or by a one-goal margin that forces extra time. The return leg is scheduled for 29 July 2026.

For Dinamo Minsk, this result extends a strong run of away form in European qualifiers. Neftchi Baku, meanwhile, will need to address the defensive fragility that saw a 2-0 lead evaporate inside 30 minutes of football.

A game of two stories: Neftchi Baku's dream start and Dinamo Minsk's ruthless response. Vardanyan's individual brilliance decided the night, but the collective resilience of the Belarusian side — conceding twice in eight minutes and still refusing to panic — was just as impressive. Neftchi have a mountain to climb in the second leg.