Lithuania leave Islanders stranded

Lithuania recorded their first EURO 2004™ qualifying success tonight by defeating Group 5 rivals the Faroe Islands 2-0 in Kaunas.

Penalty opener
The visitors arrived for the game in high spirits following last month's 2-2 draw at home to Scotland, but the Lithuanians needed only 22 minutes to open the scoring when Akratitos striker Tomas Razanauskas converted a penalty.

Well-worked second
To their credit, the visitors refused to concede defeat and fought back well. Yet the result looked a formality eight minutes before the break when Razanauskas linked up with Maccabi Haifa midfield player Raimondas Zutautas to manufacture a chance for Robertas Poskus, who applied the finishing touch to make it 2-0.

Missing striker
It was an important win for the home side, who went into the match without FC Porto forward Edgaras Jankauskas, who was ruled out with a groin injury. Despite the absence of their star striker, the result never looked in doubt during a goalless second half.

Daunting trip
The Lithuanians travel to Iceland on Wednesday while the Faroes next face the daunting prospect of a trip to Germany.