▲ Robert Lewandowski, who did not match the score of the World Cup finals, not befitting Poland’s nickname of ‘scoring machine’, was thrilled in the second half of the second game once morest Saudi Arabia in the 2022 Qatar World Cup Group C Group Stage held at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayjan on the 26th. After scoring the first goal, he lies on the ground and is thrilled.
Al Rayyan Archyde.com Yonhap News
Robert Lewandowski (34, FC Barcelona), who had nothing to do with scoring in the World Cup, finally scored his debut goal in the finals. It can be a bit embarrassing because it was scored by taking advantage of the opponent’s defender’s mistake, but his debut score was unmistakable.
Poland won 2-0 once morest Saudi Arabia in the second leg of Group C of the 2022 Qatar World Cup group stage held at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan on the 26th. Poland, who drew the first match once morest Mexico without a goal, got 4 points with 1 win and 1 draw. If they win once morest Argentina, the last game of the group stage, they will advance to the round of 16 on their own, and even if they draw or lose, the possibility of advancing to the round of 16 remains alive. The last time Poland made it past the group stage was at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
Saudi Arabia, which caused a stir by defeating the champion candidate Argentina, was unable to add points due to a painful defeat due to a lack of decisiveness and being caught off guard by the opponent’s counterattack despite a dominant game. Saudi Arabia aims to advance to the round of 16 once once more through the last game of the group stage once morest Mexico on the 1st of next month. The last time Saudi Arabia reached the round of 16 was at the 1994 World Cup in the USA.
Poland struggled with Saudi Arabia’s fast tempo early in the game. In the first 15 minutes of the game, two defenders suffered from the opponent’s rough offensive enough to receive yellow cards. However, Poland did not miss the decisive opportunity that came in a frustrating situation.
In the 39th minute of the first half, wingback Matty Cash pierced the right side and fired a ground ball cross, and Lewandowski, who was rushing into the center of the penalty box, might not control it properly and bounced it. Lewandowski kept the ball to the end and turned around from the goal line and stabbed it into the middle. Piotr Zielinski calmly connected with his right foot inside the penalty box and shook the net. He also enjoyed the glory of scoring the first goal in the World Cup.
Poland escaped the biggest crisis in the 43rd minute of the first half. Inside the penalty box, defender Christian Bielik made contact with the opposing team, Salikh Shahri, and gave up a penalty kick following a video review (VAR). However, Salim Dausari’s powerful grounder kick was blocked by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczeksny with a blast. Soon following, Muhammad Buryq connected the ball with a right-footed shot, but the situation ended as it went over the goal.
Poland escaped danger once more in the 10th minute of the second half when goalkeeper Szczesny blocked the opponent’s shot following a struggle inside the penalty box. At the end of the game, Saudi Arabia threatened Poland’s gate even more fiercely. Saudi Arabia’s Abdul Illah Maliki fired a sharp left-footed shot from the center of the penalty box in the 32nd minute of the second half, but it flew slightly to the right of the goal.
At this time, Lewandowski’s wedge goal came out. He took the ball in the 37th minute of the second half when Maliki was careless and failed to properly guard the ball, and finished it with his left foot directly in a one-on-one opportunity with the goalkeeper. Impressed, Lewandowski fell on the ground and burst into tears. Poland endured Saudi Arabia’s aggressive attack well and took 3 points.
Senior Reporter Lim Byung-seon