The Polish national team loses to Scotland
The Polish national team faced Scotland yesterday at the PGE National Stadium in a match that was to decide the future of both teams in Division A of the UEFA Nations League. The match was announced as a great battle of “to be or not to be”, and its course did not disappoint expectations in terms of emotions. Unfortunately, for one of the sides it ended in the worst possible way.
From the first minutes, nerves were visible on both sides, but it was the Scots who made better use of their chances. Already in the 3rd minute, a fatal mistake by the Polish defense was ruthlessly punished by John McGinn, who finished off his team’s perfect move with a precise shot into the bottom left corner of Łukasz Skorupski’s goal. The White and Reds, surprised by such a quick strike, completely lost their rhythm and self-confidence.
The Poles seemed lost for the rest of the first half. They lacked both an idea for the game and confidence in defense. Karol Świderski wasted two excellent opportunities to equalize, and the Scots tried their hand more and more boldly, taking dangerous shots from different positions. The score of 0:1 at half-time seemed to be the least punishment that could be meted out to Michał Probierz’s team.
After the break, the Poles returned to the pitch with renewed energy. Clearly motivated, they rushed to attack, trying to quickly make up for the losses. Their efforts paid off in the 59th minute, when Kamil Piątkowski made a beautiful shot, ensuring the equalizer. The result of 1:1 gave Poland a play-off to stay in the elite, but the pitch was still boiling, and emotions were reaching their zenith.