Cyprus beaten by workmanlike Belarus 

Cyprus were beaten 1-0 by a workmanlike Belarus side in an international friendly at the GSP Stadium on Thursday evening.

The game was a scrappy affair, with few moments of quality to show for itself and few chances at either end of the pitch, but the visitors were more assertive with the ball and more organised at the back, leaving goalkeeper Fedor Lapoukhov largely a spectator despite the tight scoreline.

Petty fouls by both sides and cheap turnovers of possession characterised the opening exchanges, though when the first half’s few chances did present themselves, they presented themselves to Belarus.

Twenty-one-year-old winger Artem Shumanski, who plays his club football for Russian Premier League side Krylia Sovetov Samara, was on the end of the visitors’ first two meaningful forays into Cyprus’ final third, with two crosses finding him unmarked at the back post.

On both occasions, however, the ball arrived slightly before he did, meaning he could only fluff his first shot into the advertising hoardings and toe-poke his second high into the GSP’s empty south stand.

The goal itself was created after Ivan Tsikhamirau, of Dinamo Minsk, tried a speculative shot from 35-yards-out, forcing Neofytos Michael, of Pafos FC, into a save.

Valeri Gromyko, of Belarusian Premier League side Maxline Vitebsk, took the corner, and Michael punched it clear, but only as far as Krylia Sovetov Samara’s Kirilll Pechenin.

Pechenin’s half-volley cannoned off the crossbar, with the ball then recycling to Gromyko. His second cross reached the head of Tsikhamirau, who nodded the ball into the corner of the net. 

The first half’s other major chance came just three minutes later, with German Barkovski, of Polish Ekstraklasa outfit Piast Gliwice, slide-ruling a through ball to the run of CSKA Sofia’s Max Ebong. 

Ebong lifted the ball over Michael, but the ball did not have enough pace to reach the goal before Christos Shelis, though the Cypriot centre half, who plays his club football for Greek Super League side Panetolikos, could only clear the ball back as far as Ebong. 

However, Ebong’s second effort could only be flashed back across goal from a tight angle, and out for a goal kick.

The first half ended as the second half started, with half chances for the visitors.

In the first instance, Gromyko cut in from the right wing to flash the ball across Michael’s goal, while in the second, Ebong cut the ball back to find Russian Lisakovich on the penalty spot, but a wild swing of the Maxline Vitebsk midfielder’s right leg saw the ball lofted high into the GSP’s north stand.

Lisakovich had another go at goal five minutes later, this time lining up a free-kick from around 30 yards out. While this attempt was more restrained, it did not have the desired result, the ball instead cannoning off the advertising hoardings four yards wide of Michael’s right-hand post.

The Belarusians were more at liberty to create chances and shoot at goal in the opening exchanges of the second half, and Ebong looked like the most dangerous threat, wriggling free of the Cypriot defenders’ advances on the left-hand side before playing the ball to Barkovski, whose shot ballooned high over the crossbar.

This newfound will to force the issue in the Cypriot final third left the visitors more exposed at the back, and it was ten minutes into the second half when Cyprus first came close.

Teenage Omonia midfielder Panagiotis Andreou backheeled a free kick into the path of captain Grigoris Kastanos, and the Aris Limassol man drilled a shot against Lapoukhov’s post.

The CSKA Sofia goalkeeper was called into action for the first time a minute later when Ioannis Costi, of Greek Super League side Levadiakos, registered the hosts’ first shot on target, though it was straight at him.

Following that flurry of Cypriot chances, the Belarusians shored themselves up at the back, and the game largely reverted to its first half norm, with Cyprus this time having marginally more of the ball and being marginally more advanced.

Vladislav Morozov, who plays his club football for Danish second-tier side Kolding, and Kastanos exchanged speculative efforts which both flew over their respective opposition goalkeeper’s crossbars, before Kastanos dragged another effort wide from range. 

The hosts then almost equalised twice at the death, firstly, with a deep cross from Omonia’s Nikolaos Panagiotou which met the head of Aris Limassol’s Andronikos Kakoulli.

Kakoulli’s header looped over Lapoukhov, who was left in no man’s land after considering rushing off his line to meet it, but also looped marginally over his crossbar.

Then, with the game’s final act, a whipped corner left Lapoukhov flailing at thin air when one of a gaggle of Belarusian met it to head it onwards across his penalty area, but he was able to gather the ball at the second attempt from Angelos Neophytou’s goalward header.

Belarus were deserving winners on the night, registering their first victory since a 4-1 triumph over Kazakhstan in a friendly last June. Cyprus remain without a victory against any side but San Marino since 2024. They will next face Moldova in a friendly at the GSP on Sunday.