Dortmund duo inspire Poland to Belarus victory

Jakub Błaszczykowski and Robert Lewandowski were on target as Poland ended a run of three successive draws by defeating Belarus.

Błaszczykowski, the captain, gave Poland a first-half lead which was doubled with 21 minutes remaining by his Borussia Dortmund team-mate Lewandowski. Franciszek Smuda's men continue their build-up to UEFA EURO 2012 with a home friendly against Italy on 11 November.

Poland's dominance of possession resulted in a slew of chances before the break in Wiesbaden, with Damien Perquis heading narrowly wide and Adrian Mierzejewski striking a powerful effort off target. Another chance was forthcoming before the half-hour mark when Sławomir Peszko dribbled into the penalty area but his shot was blocked by defender Dmitri Verkhovtsov.

Błaszczykowski broke the deadlock after 32 minutes, taking Rafał Murawski's cross on his chest, turning sharply and finishing clinically, while Perquis threatened a second moments before the break with an overhead kick from close range.

Poland started the second period brightly, keeping possession and pressing Belarus in the final third, and doubled their advantage midway through the half when Peszko crossed for Lewandowski, who scored with the simplest of finishes. The Dortmund forward had another chance with a quarter of an hour remaining but his shot was saved by Sergei Veremko.