Poland ride their luck but moments of class eventually see off Saudi Arabia

After failing to score against Mexico, Poland needed big performances from their big players. They got them from Lewandowski and Szczesny…

In the end, perhaps it’s the little moments of sheer quality that really make the difference. Wojciech Szczesny plays his club football for Juventus. Robert Lewandowski plays his for Barcelona. Both played a key role in securing a win for Poland which gives them an excellent chance of getting past the group stages of the World Cup for the first time since 1986 while puncturing the bubble of optimism that had built up surrounding Saudi Arabia since their stunning win against Argentina earlier in the week.

Lewandowski somehow went into this game still without his first goal in the World Cup finals, but his delicate touch teed up Piotr Zielinski to score their first goal and then added their second to put the result beyond reasonable doubt with eight minutes to play, while Szczesny pulled off a brilliant double-save from a Salem Al-Dawsari penalty kick at the end of the first half, a potential lifeline shortly after Poland had taken the lead somewhat against the run of play.

By half-time, Poland were definitely wiping their collective brow. They’d taken the lead six minutes from half-time, when Matty Cash’s cross found Lewandowski, who managed to turn the ball back for Zielinski to score from close range. But it only took five minutes for Saudi Arabia to be given a slightly soft penalty kick and a route back into the game.

Krystian Bielik’s challenge on Saleh Al-Shehri looked like little more than a tap on the ankle, but there was contact, Al-Shehri went straight down and, after a VAR interjection, the referee changed his mind and gave the penalty kick.

That gamesmanship stepped up a level. Lewandowski stepped between the taker and the ball, prolonging the amount of time that he had to think about taking it by a precious few seconds. If they were looking to unsettle the Saudi penalty taker, it worked. Salem Al-Dawsari, who’d been their hero during the win against Argentina earlier in the week, looked absolutely petrified as he stepped up to take the kick. His shot was tame and blocked by Szczesny, who then managed to turn Mohammed Al-Burayk’s rebound over the crossbar as well.

That fundamental difference between the two teams reared its head, with Saudi Arabia chasing the game. Roared on by a vociferous crowd, again they had played well throughout the second half and had created chances, but Poland…