Lewandowski helps Poland reach Qatar
Key takeaways:
- Lewandowski's 51st goal for club and nation this season allowed sending Poland to the World Cup finals in Qatar.
- Poland is through to the World Cup in Qatar after Robert Lewandowski, and Piotr Zielinski's goals handed them a play-off final victory over Sweden.
Lewandowski's penalty early in the second half, after a challenge on Grzegorz Krychowiak, broke the tie.
Zielinski took advantage of a defensive setback to run clear and fix the tie favoring the home side.
The draw for the finals takes place this Friday in Doha, with the World Cup getting underway on 21 November.
It will be the only time the tournament has been shifted from its regular summer slot for matches in milder winter temperatures in the Gulf.
And Poland will be there after a hard-fought win over a Sweden team that played a massive part in rejecting them a spot in the knockout stages of Euro 2020.
According to Lewandowski, it was performed with several players having injuries too.
"We had numerous issues before this game," he said. "Many of our players were hurt, including me - I had pain with my knee."
"We suffered, but now we can celebrate. I am scornful and satisfied."
Defender Kamil Glik, who played with a muscle injury, stated: "It was new for all of us - for me, for Robert [Lewandowski], who had played multiple games but he hadn't played one like this, none of us had."
"I wasn't curious about what would happen tomorrow, the day after, the following week, next year. All that mattered was the here and now."
It was nearly inevitable that Bayern Munich forward and Poland talisman Lewandowski would have a significant role in the match - and so it proved.