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Lithuania v Luxembourg

9.45pm  7 June 2019

UEFA European Championships, Qualifying Group B
Lithuania 1 Luxembourg 1 (att 3,263)

It's been a while since I last made progress in my quest to see football in each of UEFA's 55 member nations, but I reduced the tally left to 12 thanks to the latest batch of international fixtures and a long weekend in the Baltic states.

First up was a Friday night game at Lithuania's compact national football stadium in Vilnius. The ground is small, so unlike matches against some countries the visit of Luxembourg meant getting tickets was easy.

It also meant it was a truly competitive fixture, a relative rarity for both these sides. I've seen Luxembourg a few times over the years, including a 9-0 defeat at Wembley, but this was the first time I'd seen them score.

Their first half opener should have set them up for a win, especially when the hosts had a player sent off just before half time. But in the second half the 10 men staged a stirring fightback, and deserved their well-taken equaliser with about 15 minutes left.

The end of the game was exciting as Lithuania, urged on by their supporters, searched for a winner but were vulnerable on the break. Neither team could score again though, and the home were reduced to nine after a second red card in the final moments.

The LFF Stadium is an easy walk from Vilnius's attractive city centre. It's a three-sided ground, with most of the seats uncovered and an artificial pitch. The open end, nearest the entrance, has a mini pitch but was put to good use as a beer garden, complete with bean bags for fans taking a leisurely approach to supporting their country.









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