Closeâ¢Â Joined ESPN in 2011
â¢Â Covered two Olympics, a pair of Rugby World Cups and two British & Irish Lions tours
â¢Â Previously rugby editor, and became senior writer in 2018
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AL-RAYYAN, Qatar -- Robert Lewandowski inspired Poland to a 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia at the World Cup to ensure Group C remains wide open heading into the final round of fixtures.
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Saudi Arabia were looking to cement their spot in the knockout phase after stunning Argentina 2-1 in the opening round, but they came up against an inspired Lewandowski, who scored his first World Cup goal in the second half. By that stage, Piotr Zielinski had already given Poland the lead with his first-half goal, but they had goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny to thank for preserving their advantage, as he pulled off a remarkable piece of goalkeeping on the stroke of half-time as he saved a penalty and then the rebound.
Saudi Arabia continued hammering away at Poland's goal but could not get past the inspired Szczesny. With Argentina facing Mexico later on Saturday evening, Poland and Saudi Arabia are still in with a shot at making the knockout rounds of the World Cup, but this was Lewandowski's evening.
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Robert Lewandowski capped off a gutsy, tireless performance for Poland against Saudi Arabia with his first-ever goal at a World Cup. Hector Vivas - FIFA/FIFA via Getty ImagesRapid reaction
1. Lewandowski finally makes his mark at a World Cup
Poland are aiming to reach the round of 16 for the first time since 1986, and are still in with a chance of achieving that thanks largely to the acrobatics of Szczesny, the relentless work rate and sheer class of Lewandowski and a pragmatic game plan that saw them frustrate Saudi Arabia.
Zielinski's 39th-minute goal came against the run of play and gave Poland a fortunate half-time lead. Despite Saudi Arabia dominating much of the play in the second half, Poland hit the woodwork twice -- first through a diving header from Arkadiusz Milik and then Lewandowski striking the post from close range. But then came the moment Poland and Lewandowski had been waiting for.
Before this game at Education City Stadium, he'd played in four World Cup matches but had failed to score. He was risking joining other greats such as Luis Figo, Pavel Nedved and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in playing in a World Cup for their country but never scoring. It looked for all the world like his chance was going to slip by him again. But all it needed was a slip -- and it was Abdullelah Al Malki who was the unfortunate party, as his poor touch allowed Lewandowski to pounce and slot it past the onrushing Mohammed Al-Owais in the 82nd minute to make it 2-0.
The goal makes Lewandowski -- at 34 years and 97 days -- the oldest player to score in a World Cup for Poland and draws to a close one previously unfinished narrative at this competition. His work rate is just incredible to watch, with the Barcelona star constantly dropping back to help build attacks from deep, gesturing to his teammates to keep them focused and attempting to play in the right areas, and then he manages to balance all that with his day job of scoring. After he managed to slide the ball past the keeper, Lewandowski was mobbed by his teammates after he slid headfirst in celebration across the turf. He's already Poland's greatest-ever player, but now he has a World Cup goal to his name. Up next for Poland are Argentina, and they'll need their star man at his lethal best if they are to get a result there.
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2. Szczesny's acrobatics help Poland through
The penalty on the stroke of half-time should never have been given, despite the VAR intervention and the subsequent check on the monitor. It was soft at best, as Krystian Bielik caught Saleh Al-Shehri. But the weak officiating at least gave us the chance to see one of the box-office moments of this World Cup so far.
Saudi Arabia's Salem Al-Dawsari hit the penalty low down to Szczesny's right. The Juventus keeper managed to get down (with his foot just touching his line as the penalty was taken) and palm that away, leaving Al-Burayk with the straightforward task of hammering it home. But Szczesny managed to get himself off the deck and somehow turned the next effort over the bar. It was a magnificent piece of goalkeeping, and one of the most remarkable double saves you'll see at this World Cup.
He followed it up with a fantastic close-range stop off Al-Dawsari in the second half, as he managed to get his legs in the way of a point-blank effort and repelled anything else that came his way. But this was a world-class display from the veteran.
Wojciech Szczesny kept Poland's hopes of qualifying from their World Cup group alive with his stunning double save. Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images3. Saudis brought back to earth
Saudi Arabia's 2-1 win over Argentina in the opening round of games was one of the greatest shocks in World Cup history. But lightning didn't strike twice, and they were frustrated by a well-organised Poland side and erratic refereeing. They will rightly feel aggrieved at Matty Cash avoiding at least a second yellow for catching Mohammed Al-Burayk in the face with a stray elbow in the first half. The referee's errors drew frustration from both camps, but that was a poor, game-changing mistake, as Cash would play a key role in Poland's opener.
Group C
| GP | W | D | L | GD | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - Argentina | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | +3 | 6 |
| 2 - Poland | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 - Mexico | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 4 |
| 4 - S. Arabia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 3 |
| Top two countries qualify for round of 16 | ||||||
They still have Mexico to come -- a win there and they are through to the knockout stages. This defeat wasn't for lack of effort; it was just one of those matches where nothing quite went in their favour. They managed to stretch Poland well at times, but after securing the biggest victory in their lives against Argentina, it's impossible to repeat that same intensity just four days later. They've had public holidays awarded in their honour, and there's been talk of the players being awarded Rolls Royces. But this was a proper gritty World Cup pool match and they need to pick themselves up again for Mexico.
Player ratings
Poland: Szczesny 9, Bereszynski 6, Kiwior 6, Glik 6, Cash 7, Zielinski 7, Krychowiak 8, Bielik 6, Frankowski 7, Milik 6, Lewandowski 9.
Subs: Kaminski 6, Piatek 5.
Saudi Arabia: Al-Owais 6, Abdulhamid 7, Al-Burayk 5, Al-Bulayhi 6, Al-Amri 6, Kanno 7, Al-Malki 5, Al-Naji 5, Al-Dawsari 7, Al-Brikan 6, Al-Shehri 7.
Subs: Al-Abid 5, Al-Ghannam 6, Al-Obud 6, Al-Dawsari 6, Babhir 6.
Best and worst performers
BEST: Robert Lewandowski
The Poland captain put in a performance for the ages, and while there were some remarkable showings by his fellow teammates, he lived up to his billing as the best player on the pitch.
WORST: Sami Al-Naji
Had a quiet game in midfield for Saudi Arabia, and was taken off at half-time with his team 1-0 down to a very direct Poland goal.
Highlights and notable moments
Lewandowski became the latest great to add a World Cup goal to his list of accomplishments, but Szczesny's double save to maintain Poland's lead is worthy of repeat viewing.
DOUBLE SAVE
Wojciech SzczÄsny comes up HUGE for Poland