Poland grabbed their first ever win in the Euros in Nice with a 1-0 victory over Northern Ireland.
The White Eagles began on the front foot, putting pressure on the Northern Irish defence right from the get-go. The combination and movement of Polish strikers Milik and Robert Lewandowski proved to be troublesome for the defenders who did well to go into the break without conceding.But it only took six minutes from the restart for the Ajax hitman to power his side into the lead, after he finished off a slick passing move with a clinical finish.
However, it only took six minutes from the restart for the Milik to power his side into the lead, capping off a slick passing move with a clinical finish.
Adam Nawałka would have felt his side should have won by a bigger margin but the one goal proved to be more than enough for the Poles who have won their first game in a major tournament after 10 years.
Despite a spirited performance for the Green and White army, Michael O’Neill’s team couldn’t really test the Polish goal.
Poland
Wojciech Szczesny – 5: Didn’t have much to do, barring a few nervy moments towards the end of the game.
Lukasz Piszczek – 6: Was never shy to bomb forward and support in attack. Was solid at the back as well, while also picking up a yellow card towards the end of the game.
Kamil Glik – 6.5: Had to challenge a number of aerial balls against Kyle Lafferty and the centre-back was always up to the task but was otherwise barely tested.
Michał Pazdan – 6: Just like Glik, Pazdan was on hand to deal with the aerial threat of Lafferty.
Artur Jedrzejczyk –7: Played more like a left wing-back and was arguably one of the stand-out players on the pitch. Got forward and delivered a few good crosses in the first half.
Jakub Blaszczykowski –7: Was a constant threat down the right-hand side and even grabbed an assist, playing in Milik to score the only goal of the game.
Grzegorz Krychowiak –7: Was a dominant force in midfield, barely allowing the opposition time on the ball. Hit a sweet strike in the second half that narrowly missed the goal.
Bartosz Kapustka –7.5: The youngster had a brilliant outing, causing real problems for the Northern Irish defenders with his pace and incredible ball control.
Krzysztof Mączynski –5: Clearly wasn’t 100 per cent fit and was taken off with less than 15 minutes to play.
Arkadiusz Milik – 8.5: Was undoubtedly the most threatening player for Poland. Should have scored in the first-half itself when he skied his shot from inside the penalty area, but more than made up for it with an outstanding strike that proved to be the winner.
Robert Lewandowski – 7: Was closely watched by Evans and McAuley, forcing the Bayern Munich striker to drop deep to get on the ball. A decent outing for the 27-year-old who will look to open his scoring account soon.
Substitutes
Tomasz Jodlowiec – 5: Came on for Mączynski late in the second half with the sole purpose to help see out the game.
Kamil Grosicki – N/A: Replaced Blaszczykowski with less than 10 minutes left on the clock.
Slawomir Peszko – N/A: Late sub for Kapustka.
Northern Ireland
Michael McGovern – 6: Was kept on his toes by the Poland attackers but did not make any real saves.
Conor McLaughlin – 4: Struggled to keep Kapustka at bay as he couldn’t handle his pace and trickery. Moved forward whenever he saw the opportunity.
Craig Cathcart – 5: Was also given a tough time but often stuck to his task to prevent Poland from playing that final killer pass.
Jonny Evans – 6: Solid performance from the West Brom man who did not allow Lewandowski any space.
Gareth McAuley – 6.5: Was responsible alongside Evans for keeping the dangerous Lewandowski quiet throughout the 90 minutes. Was also a threat in his side’s set-plays.
Oliver Norwood – 5: The Reading midfielder was often forced to stay back and help in defending as his side were on the back foot for most of the game.
Paddy McNair – 4: Largely invisible in the opening half and was substituted before the start of the second half.
Steven Davis – 6.5: Was the only person that was trying to get things started for Northern Ireland but with only Lafferty to aim at, the Southampton midfielder was forced to thump the ball up front, rather than build up the play.
Shane Ferguson – 5: Blaszczykowski caused a lot of problems for the wing-back, who didn’t get too involved in the game. Taken off a little after the hour-mark.
Chris Baird – 5.5: A good outing for the Derby County man, who seemed to cover a lot of distance when he was on the pitch. Helped out in defence as well and making a number of crucial interceptions.
Kyle Lafferty –5: Was isolated up front and was forced to feed on long balls, to which he was beaten by the Polish centre-backs most of the times. Tried his best to create something for his side but didn’t have the support to do so.
Substitutes
Stuart Dallas – 5: Replaced McNair for the second half and had much more of an influence than the Manchester United youngster.
Conor Washington – 6: Came on for Ferguson and very nearly got his side a goal when he burst forward only to be halted by Szczesny.
Jamie Ward – 5: Brought on for the final 15 minutes in the hopes to help his side salvage something from the game but was unable to cause any major threat.
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