...and Lewandowski can’t score either as Poland fluff lines
HOW was that for another twist? after the earlier drama in Lusail, 13 miles across town this bizarre World Cup put its hand on the shoulder of robert Lewandowski. One of Lewandowski’s many qualities is his ability to stay as cold as ice in pressure situations but that wasn’t the case when he fluffed a glorious chance to give Poland control of their destiny. What odds would you have got on him missing a penalty and Lionel messi losing on the same day? But it happened. In the 57th minute of a tense, tight contest Var alerted Chris Beath that mexico’s Hector moreno had grabbed too much of the striker’s shirt as they grappled in the box. The australian referee was asked to view his pitchside monitor and we all knew what it meant. So Lewandowski placed the ball on the spot, and then remarkably ended up placing his head despairingly in his hands as Guillermo Ochoa, the 37-year-old mexico keeper playing at his fifth World Cup, plunged to his left and made the save. nerves get the better of the best of them. Czeslaw michniewicz, Poland’s head coach, said: ‘Yesterday in training, he practised penalties and never missed. Such things happen, great players miss. Zico, Socrates, Platini, maradona, many others. It is football.
‘It is a pity. I know how much he wanted to score at a World Cup and I hope the following opportunities will lead to a goal. ‘I know how a captain who misses a penalty feels when the match does not end in victory. He was very emotional about it.’ as the Barcelona striker muttered away, mexico’s fans celebrated with noisy abandon. Green shirts made up at least three-quarters of the crowd and like the delirious Saudi arabians six hours earlier, the colour and passion they brought to this stage was magnificent.
In truth, Poland hadn’t done enough to win — the award of the spot-kick was unsatisfactory and mexico were lively.
If anything, mexico had enjoyed the better chances and only a brilliant save from Wojciech Szczesny in the 64th minute from Henry martin’s instinctive header kept the scores level. a draw felt like the appropriate conclusion.