Lithuania had to wait until second-half injury time in their Euro 2016 Group E qualifier against San Marino to score a winner and seal a 2-1 victory in Vilnius this evening.
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The hosts quickly imposed themselves on their less illustrious opponents and took the lead just seven minutes in when Arvydas Novikovas's corner was rifled home by Fedor Cernych.
Lithuania pummelled the San Marino goal throughout the first half as Novikovas, Cernych and Lukas Spalvis weighed in with chance after chance, but they couldn't add to their tally by the break.
The Baltic nation would come to rue their toothlessness early in the second half when Giedrius Arlauskis was dismissed following a bad tackle on Danilo Rinaldi.
In a shock turn of events, the visitors - who had not scored an away goal since 2001 - equalised five minutes before the hour through Matteo Vitaioli's free kick, a goal which prompted wild celebrations among the Sammarinese contingent.
Lithuania grew increasingly desperate in a bid to find a winner against one of the world's lowest-ranked sides, and were given a boost when Nicola Chiaruzzi was dismissed for a second yellow card with two minutes left.
The hosts' blushes were then spared right at the death when Novikovas's cross fell to Spalvis, who drilled home from close range to break San Marino's hearts.
Igoris Pankratjevas's charges remain in with a slight shout of making the top three in Group E, while San Marino remain bottom on one point.
Giuseppe Labellarte
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