After a precious point gathered against Mexico in the opening match in Qatar, Poland’s national team showed what it’s capable of by beating Saudi Arabia 2-0 and taking the lead of group C in some fashion. 

Indeed, the White and Reds showed strong character in their clash against the Saudis. The start of the match played last Saturday represented a pain in the back for the Poles. After less than 20 minutes, 3 of our players (Kiwior, Cash, and Milk) had already received a yellow card. Shortly after, the referee miraculously did not hand out a second yellow card to Matt Cash for a clumsy elbow kick. The latter shared his relief for not having been sent off to TVP Sport after the game. 

The joy provoked by Zieliński’s opening goal after a clever pass by Lewandowski (39’) was short-lived. Indeed, in the additional time of the first half, the referee awarded a penalty to Saudi Arabia. That is when the turning point of the match took place. Wojciech Szęsny heroically saved not only the penalty but also the rebound which followed, taking an immense burden off the shoulders of his team and a whole nation.

The second half was under Poland’s control. After several unlucky situations (a header on the bar by Milik and a shot on the post by Lewandowski), the White and Reds eventually managed to break and seal the deal. The author of the decisive goal was no other than Robert Lewandowski himself. Lewy scored his first-ever goal in a World Cup, his 77th with Poland, a record. His emotional celebration showed how much it meant to him, especially after his missed penalty against Mexico.

Poland qualified for the prestigious tournament following a glorious playoff match against Sweden (2-0). This followed a fortunate turn of events, as our team benefited from the disqualification of Russia, which allowed us to automatically reach the final stage of the playoffs. 

Before the World Cup started, coach Czesław Michniewicz and captain Robert Lewandowski admitted that making it out of the group stage would already represent a respectable achievement. Well, which Polish fan would not have signed for the results produced so far, namely an encouraging 4 out of 6 points won?

Poland is now 90 minutes away from a quite sensational qualification to the round of 16. It would be the first time since 1986 that Poles would play in the final stage of the big tournament. We will now be facing the toughest opponent of the group: Lionel Messi’s Argentina. The Albicelestes got trapped in their opening game against Saudi Arabia (1-2) before setting the record straight against Mexico (2-0). As it stands, Poland is still on top of group C with 4 points, followed by Argentina (3), Saudi Arabia (3), and Mexico (1). 

The most important thing is that we have our fate in our hands. A win against Argentina would qualify us for the round of 16 as leaders of group C, where we would play against the runners-up of group D (most likely Australia or Denmark). A defeat, however, would mean elimination if Saudi Arabia defeated Mexico. A draw in both matches would be beneficial for us as well, meaning a qualification to the round of 16 as runners-up of group C and adversaries of group D’s leader, France. 

Interestingly, a draw against Argentina would even be sufficient for finishing first, under the condition that Mexico would manage not to lose its deciding game against the Saudis. Even better, Poles could qualify as second of group C even after losing (with a maximum two goal difference) to Argentina. In such a scenario, the Mexicans would need to win, or at least draw, but by scoring fewer goals than Poland. 

The deciding games of group C will start on Wednesday, 30 November at 7PM UK time. 

Image: Łączy Nas Piłka

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen