MINSK (Interstat) — Artem Shumansky scored in the first minute and Belarus made that early goal hold up for a 1-0 victory over Finland on Tuesday in a competition match. Shumansky’s quick finish gave the home side the only goal it needed, and Belarus protected the lead through a combative, stop-start contest that produced six yellow cards and nine substitutions. Finland, the visiting team, could not find an equalizer despite pressing for much of the second half. Belarus improved to 2-0 in the competition and 2-0 across all competitions, while Finland slipped to 1-1 in the competition and 1-1 overall.

The game’s decisive moment arrived almost immediately. Shumansky put Belarus ahead in the 1st minute, turning an early attacking sequence into the opening goal. The strike set the tone for a match in which Belarus spent long stretches defending its narrow advantage. Shumansky’s statline included one goal and a yellow card in 46 minutes of action. He was shown the yellow card in the 27th minute, a booking that was followed moments later by the same punishment for Belarus teammate G. Barkovskiy. The first half grew increasingly physical as Finland tried to respond and Belarus worked to slow the visitors’ rhythm.

Belarus received another yellow card in the 38th minute, when V. Bocherov was booked. By then, Finland was still searching for a way through a compact Belarus side. The home team’s discipline wavered at times, but the scoreline remained unchanged. At halftime, Belarus made a double substitution, with Bocherov and Shumansky both replaced in the 46th minute. The changes came immediately after the restart and signaled that Belarus intended to protect its lead with fresh legs in midfield and defense.

Finland responded with substitutions of its own. In the 58th minute, A. Svanback and O. Valakari entered the match. Belarus made another change in the 62nd minute, replacing Barkovskiy. Finland continued to rotate in the 67th minute, bringing on M. Peltola and J. Lahteenmaki. The visitors pushed more players forward as the second half wore on, hoping to turn possession into a clear scoring chance. Belarus, meanwhile, defended in numbers and looked to break up Finland’s attacks before they reached the penalty area.

The match remained tense into the final quarter-hour. Finland made another substitution in the 74th minute when R. Mahuta entered the game. Finland’s B. Kallman was booked in the 75th minute. Belarus was shown a yellow card in the 83rd minute when K. Pechenin was booked. The home side made its final substitution in the 84th minute, with A. Selyava coming on. Finland’s S. Miettinen was booked in the 90+2nd minute as the visitors’ frustration grew in the closing stages. Despite Finland’s late pressure, Belarus held on for the shutout.

The result continued contrasting starts for the two teams in the competition. Finland had won its previous competition match, defeating Albania 2-1, but could not build on that result against Belarus. Finland’s previous victory over Albania had given it momentum, but the visitors were unable to replicate that scoring touch. Belarus had routed San Marino 4-0 in its previous competition outing and followed that victory with another win. Belarus, which had scored four times against San Marino, needed only the one early goal this time. The home side’s perfect record in the competition and overall remained intact, while Finland fell back to .500 in both. Belarus’s defensive effort proved enough to secure the win.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Belarus 2, Finland 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Belarus with a 66.2 percent probability to win. Those projections were made before the match and were released before kickoff.