Belarus hold Finland 1-1 in World Cup qualifier

Minsk (Belarus), June 12 (IANS)

FILE PHOTO: Finland players celebrating after a match.

Belarus and Finland played out a 1-1 draw in a World Cup qualifier in Gomel, Belarus.

Finnish forward Teemu Pukki scored the first goal in the 24th minute. The Belarusians kept the pressure on the Finnish side until Dmitri Verkhovtsov headed in an accurate cross from Timofei Kalachev in the 85th minute Tuesday, reports Xinhua.

On June 7 in Helsinki, Finland took the home advantage to register 1-0 win via a second-half own goal from Shitov.

Belarus and Finland havee been grouped with Spain, France and Georgia in Group I. After this game, Finland will next face Spain, while Georgia play France.