Euro showing good omen for Poland

POLAND

Fifa ranking: 10 PREVIOUS TOURNAMENTS:

This is the eighth World Cup for Poland and the first since 2006. This century Poland failed to reach the knockout phase in 2002 and 2006, finishing fourth and third in their group respectively. Their last appearance in the last-16 was in 1986.

COACH: Adam Nawalka

Nawalka, 60, is a former Poland midfielder who played at the 1978 World Cup and was capped 34 times. Nawalka became a coach in 1996 and managed several Polish clubs, including his boyhood team Wisla Krakow where he won the championship as a player and manager.

Reaching the Euro 2016 marks Nawalka’s achievement.

KEY PLAYERS:

quarterfinal biggest

Robert Lewandowski: Talismanic Bayern Munich striker with the biggest influence on Poland’s style of play and confidence, he was the leading scorer in Europe’s World Cup qualifying campaign.

He was also top scorer in the Bundesliga this season for the third time since he began playing in Germany in 2010 – the first non-German to achieve the feat.

Kamil Glik: French media have dubbed the Monaco centreback “the rock” which sums him up nicely. The 30-year-old has a reputation as a rugged defender with a flair for scoring stunning goals.

Grzegorz Krychowiak: The 28year-old defensive midfielder was a key player during Euro 2016. He closed down the space in front of the defence and broke up opposition attacks.

HOW THEY QUALIFIED:

Poland led their group almost from start to finish, finishing with eight wins, one draw and a defeat.

PROSPECTS:

Poland’s strong performance at Euro 2016 meant their fans look to the 2018 World Cup with a sense of hope. Poland have been drawn against Senegal, Colombia and Japan in Russia. —