Poland came from behind to beat Albania 2-1 in Warsaw last night, booking their place in the World Cup play-off final.
Albania, who have never qualified for a World Cup, made a brilliant start and silenced the home crowd by taking the lead before half-time. A mistake from Jan Bednarek let Arbër Hoxha in behind, and he kept his cool to slot past the goalkeeper from a tight angle. Poland struggled to respond and went in at the break trailing.
Manager Jan Urban threw on 17-year-old debutant Oskar Pietuszewski at half-time in search of a spark. It was Robert Lewandowski who got Poland back on level terms, heading in from close range after goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha fumbled a corner.
Then came the moment that settled it. Piotr Zieliński was given far too much space 25 yards out and drilled a stunning dipping shot into the far corner to put Poland ahead. Albania couldn’t find a way back, and Poland held on to win.
They’ll now face Sweden on Tuesday, with a place at this summer’s World Cup in North America on the line.
