RS Anderlecht 0-1 Dinamo Minsk: Europa League playoffs first leg
Anderlecht sunk by late Dinamo Minsk winner
Belarussian side Dinamo Minsk leave Constant Vanden Stock Stadium with a 1-0 advantage
RSC Anderlecht's hopes of reaching the UEFA Europa League group stage were dealt a blow on Thursday as they were beaten 1-0 at home by Dinamo Minsk in the first leg of their playoff tie.
The Belgian side, who won the Europa League in 1983, were outplayed for much of the game and only rarely threatened the Dinamo goal.
The visitors, meanwhile, looked dangerous on the counter-attack and eventually got their winner in the 89th minute when Uladzimir Khvashchynski headed home from close range.
The result leaves Anderlecht with a mountain to climb in the second leg, which will be played in Minsk next Thursday.
Match summary
- Anderlecht started the game brightly but failed to create any clear-cut chances.
- Dinamo grew into the game and began to create chances of their own.
- The visitors took the lead in the 89th minute when Uladzimir Khvashchynski headed home from close range.
Reaction
Anderlecht coach Hein Vanhaezebrouck was disappointed with his team's performance.
"We were not good enough tonight," he said. "We didn't create enough chances and we made too many mistakes."
Dinamo Minsk coach Sergey Gurenko was delighted with the result.
"This is a great result for us," he said. "We knew it would be a tough game but we stuck to our game plan and we got the win."
What's next?
The second leg of the tie will be played in Minsk next Thursday.
Anderlecht will need to score at least two goals to progress to the group stage.
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