(Football news) Goals by Robert Lewandowski and Piotr Zieliński ensured that Poland progressed to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with a 2-0 win over Sweden at the Silesian Stadium. After a scoreless first half, Lewandowski broke the deadlock in the 49th minute after Jesper Karlstrom fouled Grzegorz Krychowiak. Zieliński doubled the advantage for the hosts in the 72nd minute by taking advantage of a defensive lapse to assure Poland a place in Qatar.
The draw for the World Cup will take place this Friday in Doha and the World Cup will be underway from 21st November. It will be the first time that the World Cup will take place in winter months instead of the traditional summer window and club football will come to a standstill in that period to accommodate the tournament. As expected, Robert Lewandowski proved yet again why age is just a number as he played an integral part in Poland’s victory and subsequent qualification in the World Cup.
Speaking after the match, Lewandowski said “We had many problems before this match. A lot of our players were injured, including me – I had a problem with my knee. We suffered, but now we can celebrate. I am proud and happy." Defender Kamil Glik, who played with a muscle injury, said: "It was new for all of us – for me, for Robert [Lewandowski], who had played many matches but he hadn't played one like this, none of us had. I wasn't interested in what would happen tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, next week, next year. All that mattered was the here and now."
It’s fair to say that Sweden were the better side in the first half, but couldn’t capitalize on their best opportunity when Emil Forsberg couldn’t defeat Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny. After trailing 1-0, the visitors tried to level the advantage as Forsberg once again attempted to score but their lack of finishing cost them dearly as poor control from Marcus Danielson allowed Zieliński to double Poland’s advantage. With ten minutes left on the clock, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was introduced but the 40 year old couldn’t make a significant impact and has probably played his last World Cup fixture in his career.
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