Gareth Bale did not play, he left with his national team on the same day that his official farewell from Real Madrid took place, nor did Robert Lewandowski score a goal, at the center of all eyes in the summer market for his announced desire to leave Bayern Munich , in the first game of the new edition of the League of Nations; a competitive duel resolved with a hurried comeback from Poland against Wales, transformed by goals from Jakub Kaminski and Karol Swiderski in the last 20 minutes of the match.
The two, both resources from the bench, changed the outcome of the match between 72 and 85. The 19-year-old midfielder, in his second match as an international, on the field at game time, with the goal of 1-1 , when he controlled a ball inside the area, cornered, and hit a shot with his right foot out of reach of the rival goalkeeper to establish the equalizer; his teammate, who came on in the 73rd minute, making it 2-1 by taking advantage of a rebound inside the area that had caused a shot by the usual scorer, not today, Robert Lewandowski.
The Bayern attacker to whom Barcelona aspires, present for 90 minutes on the pitch, was left without a goal, without the skill for which he is one of the most sought-after strikers in the world, appeased by the Welsh team for almost the entire meeting. It is impossible to do it completely, as he showed in the winning action or in the fantastic midfield heel maneuver with which he drove into the opponent’s area in the 20th minute, frustrated by the intervention of goalkeeper Ward when he launched his shot .
It was his best play -perhaps all of them- of this Wednesday’s match, with chances for both of them, competitive at all times and with an advantage for Wales at the beginning of the second half, when Jonny Williams made it 0-1 with a right cross from the edge of the area that seemed much less dangerous than it ultimately was for local goalkeeper Kamil Grabara.
The effect that the ball took and the difficulty of vision transformed the shot into a hieroglyph without resolution for the goalkeeper and forced a comeback to Poland, without a goal from Lewandowski or minutes for Bale, both embracing, smiling, in a brief conversation in the midfield after the match.
Poland vs. Wales: line-ups
Poland vs. Wales: minute by minute
The actions will take place at the Tarczynski Arena in Wroclaw and the Slovenian referee Rade Obrenovic will be in charge of dispensing justice. The Netherlands and Belgium are the remaining members of the group, but they will only collide with each other on Thursday, June 2 (1:45 pm).
ON WHICH CHANNEL TO WATCH POLAND VS. WELSH
Argentina: Star+, ESPN3 Argentina
Bolivia: Star+, ESPN3
Brazil: ESPN4, Star+, NOW NET and Claro
Chile: ESPN3, Star+
Colombia: ESPN3, Star+
Ecuador: Star+, ESPN3
International: UEFA.tv
Paraguay: Star+, ESPN3
Peru: ESPN3, Star+
USA: Fubo Sports Network
Uruguay: Star+, ESPN3
Venezuela: Star+, ESPN3
POLAND VS. WALES: TIME OF THE MATCH
United States – 9.00 am Los Angeles time
Mexico – 11.00 a.m.
United States – 11.00 am Texas time
Peru – 11.00 a.m.
Ecuador – 11.00 a. m.
Colombia – 11.00 a. m.
United States – 12.00 am Miami time
Bolivia – 12.00 p. m.
Venezuela – 12.00 p. m.
Chile – 12.00 p. m.
Paraguay – 12.00 pm
Uruguay – 1.00 p.m
Argentina – 1.00 p. m.
Brasil – 1.00 p. m.
England – 5.00 p.m
Spain – 6.00 p.m
Italy – 6.00 pm
The Polish team has grown a lot in its football level and will now take advantage of the League of Nations to prepare to the fullest, thinking about the Qatar 2022 World Cup. Those led by Czesław Michniewicz got the ticket to the tournament after beating Sweden in the playoffs.
And without major surprises, Robert Lewandowski is the main reference of the ‘White Eagles’, not only for being the team’s top scorer, but also for performing as captain. Grzegorz Krychowiak and Piotr Zielinski are other important figures that appeared in the offense.
In the same way, the inclusion of Matthew Cash has meant a great contribution to the team. The right-back, born in England and recently nationalized, stands out in his original position, but at the same time he performs perfectly in the role of lane.
For its part, the Welsh team still dreams of accessing the World Cup and has the European playoffs ahead. The team surpassed its similar from Austria in the first instance and now awaits the winner of Scotland vs. Ukraine, the rival he will face during this month.
Coach Robert Page is getting ready for that key and will fine-tune his strategy in the presentations for the UEFA Nations League. Due to the demands during these weeks, Gareth Bale could have rest, although it is not ruled out that he could share roles in the attack with Harry Wilson and Daniel James.
POLAND – WALES: HISTORY
Throughout history, Poland have faced Wales seven times and the balance favors the ‘White Eagles’, who won five times, lost one game and drew the other.
02-11-2009: Wales 0-1 Poland – Friendly
09-07-2005: Poland 1-0 Wales – Qualifiers
10-13-2004: Wales 2-3 Poland – Qualifiers
06-02-2001: Wales 1-2 Poland – Qualifiers
10-11-2000: Poland 0-0 Wales – Qualifiers
09-25-1973: Poland 3-0 Wales – Qualifiers
03-27-1973: Wales 2-0 Poland – Qualifiers
POLAND VS. WALES: LINE-UPS
Poland: Wojciech Szczesny; Matthew Cash, Kamil Glik, Jan Bednarek, Bartosz Bereszynski; Krystian Bielik; Piotr Zielinski, Jacek Góralski, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Sebastian Szymanski and Robert Lewandowski.
Gales: Wayne Hennessey; Ethan Ampadu, Joe Rodon, Ben Davies; Connor Roberts, Joe Allen, Aaron Ramsey, Neco Williams; Harry Wilson; Daniel James y Gareth Bale.