Poles in good position

PODGORICA: Poland won 2-1 in Montenegro with goals from Robert Lewandowski and Lukasz Piszczek to move six points clear at the top of World Cup qualifying Group E yesterday.

The result left the Poles in charge midway through the campaign on 13 points from five games, six ahead of closest rivals Montenegro and Denmark, who were held 0-0 in Romania.

Lewandowski curled home a superb 40th-minute free kick and, although Stefan Mugosa equalised, Piszczek got the winner with a fine lob in the 82nd after the Poles missed a barrage of chances.

The visitors had come close three times in the opening half before Lewandowski netted his eighth goal of the qualifying campaign.

Lewandowski and Piszczek missed a pair of easy chances inside a minute on the hour and Poland were punished as Mugosa scored his first international goal with a thumping header. Poland pressed for a winner and right back Piszczek brilliantly side-footed the ball inside the penalty area.

Meanwhile, Chris Martin came off the substitutes’ bench to keep alive Scotland’s World Cup dreams with a dramatic 88th-minute winner in a 1-0 win that ended Slovenia’s unbeaten run in European qualifying group F yesterday.

The victory breathed new life into the Scots’ campaign, putting them on to seven points in fourth place. – Reuters