Visitors in Pole position

By Denis Orlov in Minsk

Poland recovered from a half-time deficit to claim a draw in Belarus in the first leg of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship play-off at the Dinamo stadium in Minsk.

Late equaliser
Artem Kantsavy gave the home side the lead before the break, but Michal Stasiak equalised with six minutes to go to set up an
intriguing second leg at in Wronki on 19 November.

Chances at both ends
From the very begining of the game both sides were keen to score and pushed forward resolutely. Ebi Smolarek of Poland fired his effort straight into the hands of Yuri Zhaunov in Belarus goal, while the home side answered shortly afterwards when Tsimafei Kalachou shot just wide of the top-left corner.

Difficult conditions
After the eventful start, the pace of the game dropped as the players struggled to cope with the snow and the freezing temperatures in the Belarussian capital. The visitors were the first to shake off the cold, but Zhaunov was there to parry Ireneusz Jelen's strike. Belarus responded again as a sweeping move involving Aleksandr Gleb and Kolachou provided Kantsavy with a brilliant chance to head in the opening goal from 13 metres out.

On the attack
After the restart both sides went close, with Kolachou and Pavel Biahanski threatening for Belarus, while Bartosz Slusarski also had a chance for the vistors. The turning point came after 57 minutes, when Belarus playmaker Gleb suffered an injury and was forced to leave the pitch, which cut their attacking potential significantly.

Late drama
Poland then had a brilliant chance to level the score from the penalty spot after Szlusarski was brought down in the area, but Zhaunov parried Jacek Kowalczyk's effort. However, the visitors did manage to find an leveller with time running out as Stasiak fired in a spectacular equaliser on 84 minutes from 18 metres.