Georgia start strong in qualifying

Georgia got their FIFA World Cup™ qualifying campaign off to a winning start as a fine second-half goal from Tornike Okriashvili saw off the challenge of Belarus. Okriashvili's clinical finish from inside the area six minutes after half-time sealed the points for Georgia in this Group I encounter in Tbilisi. In a difficult five-team group that includes reigning world and European champions Spain and fellow heavyweights France, both Georgia and Belarus would have viewed this game as a chance to get some points on the board early. Belarus created two of the best efforts of a closely-fought first half, but Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Loria produced impressive stops to keep out shots from Sergey Kornilenko and Anton Putsila. The hosts made sure those saves did not go to waste as they went ahead soon after the interval thanks to Okriashvili's left-footed finish and Belarus could find no way back after that as Putsila and Maksim Bardachov were both denied by Loria. From : Fifa