▲ Saudi Arabia, which was defeated by Argentina, lost 0-2 to Poland ▲ A green light for Poland to advance to the round of 16 by winning against Saudi Arabia, which was a draw against Mexico ▲ Both Saudi Arabia and Poland advance to the round of 16 depending on the final match results
[골닷컴] Correspondent Park Moon-soo = Lewandowski started the goal, and the Polish national team won against Saudi Arabia and turned on the green light to advance to the round of 16.
In the afternoon of the 26th (Korean time) in the ‘2022 Qatar World Cup Group C Round 2’ against Saudi Arabia held at the ‘Education City Stadium’ in Doha, Poland, thanks to Lewandowski’s performance, he scored 1 goal and 1 assist, 2-0. won
Saudi Arabia’s formation was 4-1-4-1. It’s a similar tactic to Argentina. With Al Shehri at the front, Al Dosari and Albrikan flanked. Kanno and Al-Nazey played in midfield and Al Malki played in defensive midfield. In the back four, Abdulhamid, Al Amri, Al Buleich and Al Buryq, and Al Owais wore goalkeeper gloves.
Against this, Poland had a 4-4-1-1 formation. As Lewandofowski stepped up as a one-top player, Milik supported him. Zielinski, Frankowski, Kryhoviak and Bielik were in the midfield, and Cathy and Glick, Kibo and Beresinski were in the back four. Szczesny put on the last-last goalkeeper’s gloves.
As in the previous match against Argentina, eight of Saudi Arabia’s best 11 were from Al Hilal. The overall flow was different. Saudi Arabia took the lead in the attack as a whole, not the counterattack after the player defense. Rather, he tapped the Polish rear as he raised his line. Poland continued its attack centering on Lewandowski and Zielinski, but could not greatly threaten the opponent.
Then, in the 40th minute of the first half, Poland opened the scoring. Lewandowski gave away the ball in front of the goal, and Zielinski connected it with a right-footed shot, shaking Saudi’s net.
A good opportunity came to Saudi Arabia in the 45th minute. In the process of breaking through the gate, a penalty kick was declared. It was a valuable penalty kick obtained after a VAR review. Al Dosari stepped up as a kicker, but was blocked by goalkeeper Szczesny. Even in the second ball situation, Szczesny saved Poland from crisis by blocking another Saudi shot.
The early stages of the second half were similar. The Saudis led the attack, shaking the Polish rear. In the 10th minute of the second half, Saudi Arabia had another good chance. A series of shots followed in the confusion before the gate, but the goalkeeper Szczezny saved. Al Dosari’s shot after hitting the opponent’s defense was also useless in front of Szczesny.
After that, things were similar. Saudi Arabia led the attack and aimed at the Polish goal, but it was seldom a zero. He had a lot of shooting opportunities, but it was a flaw that he couldn’t save them properly.
The Polish counterattack was also fierce. In the 18th minute of the second half, Milik connected a cross from the left with a diving header shot, but it hit the post and came out. In the 20th minute of the second half, Lewandowski had a chance, but the goal was missed.
In the 23rd minute of the second half, Saudi Arabia had a good chance. In a set-piece situation, Al Abid came out as a kicker and tried to shoot, but the opponent’s defensive wall blocked it. In the 34th minute of the second half, Al Malki attempted a left-footed shot, but it missed the goal slightly.
While the Saudis struggled to finish, Poland had a better chance. The main character was Lewandowski. In the 37th minute of the second half, Lewandowski finally completed his first World Cup goal. Taking advantage of Saudi Arabia’s mistake, Lewandowski stole the opponent’s ball and finished with his left foot in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper to make it 2-0.
The match ended in a 2-0 victory for Poland. Saudi Arabia, which was excited by the victory over Argentina, swallowed regret due to the absence of a finish despite its good performance. Rather, Poland, who sat down, took 3 points by shaking Saudi Arabia with a counterattack strategy after player defense.
Photo = Getty Images