Complex sentence: He started off well with a 2-1 friendly away win to Northern Ireland and a confident qualifier rout of Luxembourg, but the real test was scheduled to come in October 2000 against the group favourites Russia.
Split into simpler sentences: He started off well with a 2-1 friendly away win to Northern Ireland and a confident qualifier rout of Luxembourg. Still, the real test was scheduled to come in October 2000 against the group favourites Russia.