MINSK - Ukraine lost valuable points when they were held to a 0-0 draw by former Soviet neighbours Belarus.
A scoreless draw also ended any hopes for Belarus to qualify for their first major finals.
The home team, boosted by the return from injury of captain Aleksandr Hleb and leading striker Vitali Kutuzov from suspension, were denied on several occasions by Ukraine keeper Andriy Pyatov.
At the other end, the visitors rarely threatened the Belarus goal, with Ukraine captain Andriy Shevchenko having a quiet game before being substituted - Reuters