Zestafoni retain Georgian Premier League crown

FC Zestafoni have been crowned Georgian Premier League champions for a second successive season.

Zestafoni finished level with FC Metalurgi Rustavi on 55 points at the Georgian summit but secured top spot thanks to a greater number of victories over the course of the season. The champions defeated FC Merani Martvili 3-0 on Sunday thanks to a hat-trick from Shota Grigalashvili, with the division's 20-goal leading scorer, Jaba Dvali, setting him up for all three.

"Though I am Zestafoni coach, I can say from an impartial point of view that we played the best football in the league," said triumphant trainer Giorgi Chiabrishvili. "We deserved the title, and the outcome of our matches against our title rivals proved that. We will do our best to play well next season as well."

Metalurgi Rustavi concluded their campaign with a 2-0 victory against FC Kolkheti Poti – their 17th win of the second league phase, compared to 16 for Zestafoni. Chiabrishvili's team, though, racked up 17 triumphs compared to Metalurgi's nine during the opening stage of the season and therefore prevail overall to secure only their second ever league crown.