“Artem Shumanskiy booked for time wasting as Belarus looked to slow the game down and preserve their point.”
“Aleksandr Selyava at the centre of a significant moment as Belarus continued to frustrate Finland's approach play in the final third.”
“Anton Lukashov cautioned for a foul as the game became increasingly physical in the second half.”
“Adam Ståhl booked late on as tempers and tension rose with the game still goalless.”
Finland
Belarus
Outstanding performance
Belarus•DefenderFinland controlled the game territorially from the outset, racking up 535 passes at 82% accuracy and creating three big chances, but wastefulness in front of goal - missing all three of those opportunities - meant they never turned dominance into a lead. Belarus, by contrast, played on the counter, generating more dangerous attacks (59 to 40) and matching Finland shot for shot despite seeing far less of the ball, a testament to their compact defensive shape and willingness to commit fouls (14) and tackles (18) to break up rhythm. The second half turned scrappy and stretched, with six substitutions between the 59th and 88th minute and four bookings as both sides traded fatigue for urgency without ever finding a final product. For Finland, sitting second in their group, this is a missed opportunity to close the gap at the top, while Belarus will take the point as a solid defensive result against a technically superior side.
How entertaining was this match?
Foul committed by Valeri Gromyko of Belarus.
Anssi Suhonen from Finland is awarded a free kick on the left wing.
Foul committed by Anton Lukashov of Belarus.
Santeri Väänänen from Finland is awarded a free kick in the defensive half.
Adrian Svanbäck commits a foul for Finland.
The fourth official has indicated there will be 6 minutes of added time.
Trofim Melnichenko from Belarus is awarded a free kick on the left wing.
Substitution for Finland: Adrian Svanbäck comes on for Topi Keskinen.
Max Ebong's header from the center of the box is blocked. He was assisted by Valeri Gromyko's cross.
Substitution for Belarus: Evgeni Yablonskiy comes on for Aleksandr Selyava.
Attempt saved. Lukás Hrádecky from Finland saves a left-footed shot from Trofim Melnichenko of Belarus, taken from the center of the box, in the center of the goal.
Anton Kovalev from Belarus is awarded a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul committed by Adam Ståhl of Finland.
Adam StåhlYellow CardAdam Ståhl from Finland receives a yellow card for a foul.
Trofim Melnichenko from Belarus commits a handball.
Foul committed by Aleksandr Selyava of Belarus.
Anssi Suhonen from Finland is awarded a free kick in the defensive half.
Trofim Melnichenko from Belarus is awarded a free kick in the defensive half.
Kaan Kairinen commits a foul for Finland.
Attempt missed. Valeri Gromyko from Belarus takes a right-footed shot from the left side of the box, but it goes close and misses to the right. He was assisted by Trofim Melnichenko.
Finland is called offside. Daniel Håkans is the player caught offside.
Anton Kovalev from Belarus is awarded a free kick in the defensive half.
Anssi Suhonen commits a foul for Finland.
Foul committed by Kaan Kairinen of Finland.
Trofim Melnichenko from Belarus is awarded a free kick on the left wing.
Kaan KairinenYellow CardKaan Kairinen of Finland receives a yellow card for a foul.
Anton Kovalev from Belarus wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Kaan Kairinen commits a foul for Finland.
Kaan Kairinen from Finland commits a foul.
Anton Kovalev from Belarus is awarded a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul committed by Anton Lukashov of Belarus.
Anton LukashovYellow CardAnton Lukashov from Belarus receives a yellow card for a foul.
Adam Ståhl from Finland misses a header from the center of the box, sending it to the right. The attempt was assisted by Anssi Suhonen's cross.
Juho Lähteenmäki from Finland is awarded a free kick in the defensive half.
VAR decision confirms no goal. The match remains 0-0 between Finland and Belarus.
Substitution for Finland: Anssi Suhonen comes on for Leo Walta.
Substitution for Finland: Santeri Väänänen comes on for Adam Markhiyev.
Attempt saved. Lukás Hrádecky from Finland saves a right-footed shot from outside the box by Anton Kovalev of Belarus, which was aimed at the center of the goal.
Belarus is called offside as Aleksandr Selyava is caught in an offside position.
Goal overturned by VAR: Aleksandr Selyava scores for Belarus, but the goal is disallowed after a VAR review.
Trofim Melnichenko from Belarus hits the bar with a left-footed shot from the right side of the box, assisted by Aleksandr Selyava after a corner.
Attempt saved. Lukás Hrádecky from Finland saves a right-footed shot from the center of the box by Vladislav Kalinin of Belarus, which was aimed at the top center of the goal.
Trofim Melnichenko's right-footed shot from the right side of the six-yard box is blocked. The attempt was assisted by Kirill Pechenin's cross.
Vladislav Kalinin's header from the right side of the six-yard box is blocked. He was assisted by Valeri Gromyko's cross.
Belarus wins a corner after Lukás Hrádecky concedes.
Belarus is awarded a corner after Leo Walta concedes.
Trofim Melnichenko from Belarus wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Kaan Kairinen commits a foul for Finland.
Substitution for Belarus: Valeri Gromyko comes on for Vitali Lisakovich.
Substitution for Belarus: Anton Kovalev comes on for Artem Shumanskiy.
Substitution for Belarus: Trofim Melnichenko comes on for German Barkovskiy.
Artem ShumanskiyYellow CardArtem Shumanskiy from Belarus receives a yellow card.
Attempt missed. Vitali Lisakovich from Belarus takes a right-footed shot from over 35 yards that goes close but misses to the right. He was assisted by Artem Shumanskiy after a fast break.
Substitution for Finland: Benjamin Källman comes on for Joel Pohjanpalo.
Zakhar Volkov from Belarus is awarded a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul committed by Joel Pohjanpalo of Finland.
Adam Ståhl from Finland misses a header from the center of the box, sending it to the right. The cross was assisted by Juho Lähteenmäki.
Attempt saved. Ville Koski from Finland has his shot from the center of the box saved in the bottom left corner by Fedor Lapoukhov of Belarus. The attempt was assisted by Leo Walta's cross.
Foul committed by Anton Lukashov of Belarus.
Leo Walta from Finland is awarded a free kick in the attacking half.
Finland wins a corner after Vladislav Kalinin concedes.
Foul committed by Kirill Gomanov of Belarus.
Topi Keskinen wins a free kick for Finland in the defensive half.
Max Ebong from Belarus wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Kaan Kairinen commits a foul for Finland.
The second half begins with the score at 0-0 between Finland and Belarus.
Substitution for Finland: Daniel Håkans comes on for Glen Kamara.
Fourth official has announced 0 minutes of added time.
The first half ends with the score tied at 0-0 between Finland and Belarus.
Juho Lähteenmäki from Finland is awarded a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul committed by Anton Lukashov of Belarus.
Foul committed by Zakhar Volkov of Belarus.
Joel Pohjanpalo from Finland is awarded a free kick in the defensive half.
Finland wins a corner after Zakhar Volkov concedes.
Fedor Lapoukhov from Belarus is awarded a free kick in the defensive half.
Kaan Kairinen commits a foul for Finland.
Foul committed by Vladislav Kalinin of Belarus.
Topi Keskinen wins a free kick for Finland in the attacking half.
Belarus is called offside as Zakhar Volkov is caught in an offside position.
Vitali Lisakovich from Belarus is awarded a free kick in the attacking half.
Kaan Kairinen commits a foul for Finland.
Finland wins a corner after Vladislav Kalinin concedes.
Finland wins a corner after Vladislav Kalinin concedes.
Foul committed by German Barkovskiy of Belarus.
Adam Markhiyev from Finland is awarded a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul committed by Ville Koski of Finland.
German Barkovskiy from Belarus wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Max Ebong from Belarus is awarded a free kick on the left wing.
Foul committed by Adam Ståhl of Finland.
Attempt missed. Topi Keskinen from Finland takes a right-footed shot from outside the box, but it goes just a bit too high.
Attempt saved. Adam Ståhl's header from the center of the box for Finland is saved in the middle of the goal by Fedor Lapoukhov from Belarus. The cross was assisted by Leo Walta.
Finland wins a corner after Vladislav Kalinin concedes.
Foul committed by Vitali Lisakovich of Belarus.
Tony Miettinen from Finland wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Finland is awarded a corner after Artem Shumanskiy concedes.
Belarus is called offside as German Barkovskiy is caught in an offside position.
Glen Kamara of Finland commits a handball.
Max Ebong from Belarus commits a foul.
Adam Markhiyev from Finland is awarded a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Leo Walta from Finland has a left-footed shot from outside the box that is blocked. Joel Pohjanpalo provided the assist with a headed pass.
Attempt missed. Leo Walta (Finland) had a right-footed shot from a challenging angle on the right that was close but missed the top right corner. Adam Markhiyev provided the assist.
Fedor Lapoukhov from Belarus wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Joel Pohjanpalo commits a foul for Finland.
Attempt missed. Joel Pohjanpalo (Finland) had a right-footed shot from very close range that went just to the right. He was assisted by Adam Ståhl with a cross.
Artem Shumanskiy from Belarus is awarded a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul committed by Glen Kamara of Finland.
Finland is awarded a corner after Vladislav Kalinin concedes.
German Barkovskiy from Belarus is awarded a free kick on the right wing.
Foul committed by Ville Koski of Finland.
First half begins.
League C leaders Finland welcome bottom-placed Belarus to Helsinki off the back of a rampant 7-0 win, with the hosts heavily favored to make it two wins from two. The fixture carries added weight off the pitch, with Ukraine's embassy criticizing the match and Finland pledging match proceeds and additional humanitarian funding tied to the Belarus-Ukraine geopolitical context.
