Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski slotted a second-half penalty to help Poland book a place in the World Cup finals. Piotr Zielinski scored the second goal later in the game to seal the victory for Poland against Sweden in the World Cup qualifier.
The Polish side struggled in the first half as Sweden’s winger Dejan Kulusevski went close twice before the playoff final was turned on by a clumsy mistake by Jesper Karlstroem. Bayern star Lewandowski stepped up to send Robin Olsen the wrong way. The successful penalty against Sweden meant that Lewandowski has now 75 goals for Poland.
Juve’s goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny also played a key role in Poland’s victory with many saves to deny Swedish players from scoring. Szczesny made some crucial saves in the whole match and believed that the Polish side could win the match.
Lewandowski is very good at converting penalties for Bayern and Poland. However, the penalty against Sweden was a difficult proposition since World Cup qualification was on the line. While talking to the media after the game (via Reuters), Lewandowski admitted that it was one of the most difficult penalties in his career.
"“It was one of, if not the most difficult penalty in my life. The weight of those seconds before I ran up to the ball.”“Of course, I wanted to focus on execution, but I was realising what was at stake in this game, what was at stake in that penalty. It was one of the emotionally tougher penalties of my career, definitely.”"
Poland managed to step up a gear in the second half to grind out the victory against Sweden. Zlatan Ibrahimovic came on late in the game to save the game for Sweden, but Poland managed to see off the danger and seal the victory.
Lewandowski was initially a doubt for the game against Sweden. He missed out on Poland’s friendly match against Scotland with a knock to his knee but recovered in time for the big game against Sweden. The Polish striker worked tirelessly throughout the game. He managed to get four shots on target and managed to play one key pass in the game. It was a good performance from Lewandowski in a crunch game. (Stats Courtesy: FotMob)
Robert Lewandowski has been often criticised for not stepping up for Poland in big games. He has managed to answer those critics with a good performance against Sweden. The next target for Lewandowski will be looking to continue this good form for Poland at the World Cup in Qatar.
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After securing the World Cup qualification for Poland, Robert Lewandowski will turn his attention to winning Bundesliga and Champions League with Bayern. There is intense speculation around his future at the club, but his immediate focus will be on winning silverware in the next couple of months.