Belarus prevail in San Marino

With Greece losing at home against Germany, Belarus seized second place in UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying Group 1 with a 2-0 victory in San Marino.

Dmitri Khlebosolov finished confidently from the penalty spot on 34 minutes after San Marino goalkeeper Mattia Manzaroli was penalised for a foul on Sergei Levitski in the box. The No1 can take plenty of credit for having kept the scoreline respectable as Belarus's athleticism showed after the break, but he could not prevent Aleksandr Kugan making it 2-0 on 54 minutes with a simple finish after Levitski had outpaced the Sammarinese defence.

Mikhail Kravchuk headed against the San Marino bar in the first minute, and Manzaroli was called on to block an Artem Rakhmanov shot before pouncing to deny Kravchuk an easy finish, but he paid the full price for an unwise challenge on Levitski when Khlebosolov scored from the spot.

The goalkeeper showcased his skills further, clawing away another Khlebosolov effort after the break and preventing a Kugan cross from sneaking under the crossbar before the same player made it 2-0. Substitute Artem Skitov should have scored ten minutes from time when left with only Manzaroli to beat, but once more the goalkeeper came up trumps.