LEW DUCKS OUT AGAIN
MEXICO 0 POLAND 0
Stadium 974, Group C
BY JACK OTWAY in Doha ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI blew a superb chance to break his World Cup goals duck by missing a penalty.
The Poland captain has never scored in the tournament and his wait goes on after a tame effort was kept out by Mexico’s veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.
But boss Czeslaw Michniewicz sympathised with Lewandowski and insisted no one inside the dressing room was angry with the 34-year-old.
“These things happen in sport,” he said.
“Especially at the championships, these are huge emotions.
“No one here has a grudge against Robert. Previously, in very important matches, in many tournaments, great footballers did not score.”
Lewandowski won the penalty in the 55th minute when fouled by Hector Moreno (inset).
But Ochoa, 37, competing at the World Cup for the fifth time, dived to his left to parry the ball and keep out the Barcelona striker’s poor shot (top).
It was a critical moment in a match of few chances, one played out amid a green backdrop with Mexico fans outnumbering their Polish counterparts on a cool night at Stadium 947 in Doha.
A point each was the right result with neither team doing enough to claim all three and put further distance between themselves and Argentina, who slumped to a shock defeat to Saudi Arabia earlier in the day.
Mexico fans were in fine voice before kick off, with their side hoping to make it to the knockout stages of the competition for the 10th time in a row.
They were clearly placing their faith in Napoli winger Hirving Lozano, whose name echoed around the ground. Lozano looked bright in the early stages and created a fine chance for Alexis Vega, whose header sailed just wide.
Jorge Sanchez tested Wojciech Szczesny with an effort of his own but the former Arsenal keeper tipped the ball over the bar.
Lewandowski had managed just one touch in the Mexico box during the first 45 minutes, cutting an isolated figure as his teammates struggled to involve him in the contest.
Yet as soon as he got on the ball, things started to happen.
He wrestled with Moreno inside the box while trying to get on the end of a pass and although they appeared to be tugging each other’s shirts, referee Chris Beath pointed to the spot after a VAR review. Poland’s last five World Cup goals – dating back to 1998 – were all from set-pieces so the usually reliable Lewandowski would be expected to score. Ochoa had other ideas.
Mexico boss Gerardo Martino said: “It was a game where in the first half we controlled it better. We deserved to leave with some kind of advantage.”