Belarus out to build on good start in Luxembourg
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Article summary
Having shocked France in Paris, Belarus will fancy their chances of making it two away wins out of two in Group D when they face Luxembourg at the Stade Josy Barthel.
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Luxembourg and Belarus are preparing to dispute their fifth competitive encounter when they meet in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying Group D, having also been drawn together in the run-ups to EURO '96 and UEFA EURO 2008.
Match background
• Luxembourg's record in four games against Belarus reads W1 D1 L2 (W0 D1 L1 at home).
• They first made acquaintances on 12 October 1994 – four days shy of exactly 16 years before their upcoming fixture – and the occasion proved a notable one for Belarus. The hosts' 2-0 win in Minsk was their first victory in eight matches as an independent nation, with Miroslav Romaschenko and Serguei Gerasimets scoring the goals for Serguei Borovsky's side.
• The return fixture ended goalless.
• Paired again in UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying, Timofei Kalachev and Vitali Kutuzov put Belarus on the road to a 2-1 success when the teams met in Luxembourg, leaving Chris Sagramola to grab his side's consolation effort.
• Despite that setback, Luxembourg exacted revenge with a surprise 1-0 triumph in Gomel on 13 October 2007, five days shy of three years before their next meeting and a day over 13 years on from their first encounter. Alphonse Leweck found the net deep into added time for Guy Hellers' side.