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And what a game it was! Political or not, the meeting of Poland and Russia in the Group A fixture at Warsaw was in all sense a Footballing extravaganza (minus heaps of goals) with fast paced action, heart-stopping moments, frustration, a charged crowd and fantastic game play, the best game of the tournament so far. Passions ran high in the Polish capital of Warsaw as the erstwhile estranged neighbors (USSR times) managed to hold each other to a draw at end of 90 minutes, but not without drama. Poland have kept their flickering hope of a chance of advancement alive, while Russia now sits comfortably at the top of the group.
It was the Poles who played like having a point to prove in their own capital city before a capacity crowd of 62,000 people at the National Stadium. And they almost succeeded in the 7th minute itself when a slicer of a freekick by Obraniak was connected by Boenish, only to be fantastically saved by the Russian keeper Malafeev. Poland never let up and tried to penetrate the Russian defence in dramatic attempt after attempt to feed Lebwanowsky with a ball to hit the net. They almost succeeded in the 18th minute when Eugen Polanski smashed a shot past Malafeev into the net, only to be ruled offside. The Russians found their footing soon after with the striker duo of Arshavin and Kerhakov repeatedly testing the Polish defence which was showing cracks under the stress. The Polish ‘keeper Tyton standing in for suspended first choice Szczesny proved his mettle again by saving an Arshavin freekick. But the Polish passion was killed in the 31st minute not by brilliant gameplay of tactics by the Russians, but by their own disorganized defense. Alan Dzagoev nipped in a pass from a freekick past a wrong footed Tyton making it 1 – 0.
There was some disturbance in the stands, but the crowds kept their cool. Russia took charge of the game almost completely till the half. The second half saw a resurgent Poland, and Russia, commendably pushed forward to attack seeking more goals, not contended on sitting back and resting on their laurels. The game was being played at an incredible pace now, in an atmosphere so charged that you could almost feel the sparks. The Russians passed around the ball confidently still having the upper hand, but Polanski and Blaszczykowski were seemingly present everywhere, running the length of the pitch, breathing down on the Russians’ necks. This hard pressing saw results in the 57th minute when skipper Jakub “Kuba” Blaszczykowski took a Piszczek pass, touched it with his right foot, tucked in his arm and blasted in a thundering left footed piledriver from the edge of the Penalty box, which went flying curling into the upper left side of the net, easily the goal of the Tournament and shocking Russia (see the video for the Jakub Blaszczykowski goal here). Malafeev stood no chance. 1 – 1. The stadium exploded in red and white.
The game was anyone’s now, and that was showing. The din in the stadium becoming defeaning with passions running high and the crowd roaring with every Polish move. Pressure built up on both teams but except for a stray incident between Denisov and Lewandowski, which earned both a Yellow card each, they kept their cool. Poland defended valiantly, but a lone Lewandowski up front was not enough to find another goal. Arhsavin and co. tried all tricks in their books but the Polish defence held tight. Play was mostly held up in the midfield and strains of fatigue started creeping in and showing to be more evident. Polanski, seemingly injured, asked to be substituted. The game ended with a Polish freekick going wide. Glory for either team was not to be.
Given the history between the two countries, it was ironical that a Poland – Russia face off to be held at Warsaw, on Russia day, under the watchful eyes of a West German Referee! It was like the cold War all over again, given the long history that Poland and Russia share. UEFA sure shows creativity. And the violence that spread in the aftermath of the game was indeed sad. Both teams had to be content with a point each, making it a do-or-die situation for Poland in their next game against the Czech Reublic.
