Moscow - A first-half strike by Miroslav Stoch after a goalkeeping blunder earned Slovakia a shock 1-0 win over Russia in their Euro 2012 qualifier on Tuesday.

Stoch capitalised on a bad mistake by Russia keeper Igor Akinfeyev to fire the visitors ahead midway through the first half and against the run of play.

The usually reliable Akinfeyev gave the ball away just outside his penalty box and an unmarked Stoch calmly blasted into the top corner.

The Russians dominated against the defensive-minded Slovaks for much of the game but wasted numerous chances to salvage at least a point.

"This is a fantastic result for us as Russia are one of the best teams in Europe," beaming Slovakia coach Vladimir Weiss told a news conference. "We have a young team but we're getting better with every day."

The win in Moscow gave Slovakia a perfect start in their qualifying campaign following a last-gasp 1-0 victory over Macedonia in Group B on Friday. Russia, who scraped past lowly Andorra 2-0 in their opener, now face a tricky trip to Ireland next month.

Euro 2012 Qualifier Results:

Austria 2 - 0 Kazakhstan
Turkey 3 - 2 Belgium
Macedonia 2 - 2 Armenia
Sweden 6 - 0 San Marino
Belarus 0 - 0 Romania
Malta 0 - 2 Latvia
Bulgaria 0 - 1 Montenegro
Georgia 0 - 0 Israel
Russia 0 - 1 Slovakia