Skavysh fires Belarus to summit

Maksim Skavysh struck twice to move Belarus level with Scotland at the top of Group 10 after a 2-1 victory over Albania in Durres.

Skavysh double
Belarus, who had beaten Albania 4-2 last month in their previous match in the section, began the day third but leapfrogged Austria and drew level with Scotland on 12 points thanks to two first-half goals from the FC BATE Borisov striker. The first arrived on eight minutes when Skavysh finished calmly from the middle of the penalty area and he doubled his tally nine minutes before half-time with a 25-metre strike. The visitors' captain, Mikhail Sivakov, nearly added a third but saw his 56th-minute free-kick strike a post. Odise Roshi converted Olsi Gocaj's cross with 14 minutes remaining to halve Albania's deficit, but Belarus stood firm to claim their fourth win of qualifying and go joint-top of the pool, two points clear of Austria who host Azerbaijan on Wednesday.