Senegal got Africa’s first win of the World Cup with a 2-1 victory over Poland in Moscow on Tuesday. They were helped by two flukey goals, a deflection, and a score by a player who was apparently unnoticed by the Poland defense.
Andrew Das: Senegal’s victory added to the drama in what is suddenly a tumultuous Group H. It and Japan both have wins now, and Colombia and Poland, which surely thought they’d fight one another for first place, and both looking up. They will meet Sunday in Kazan in what is now an incredibly important game for both of them. But the results in Group H also have consequences for Group G, which will face the survivors in the round of 16.
• An own goal off the leg of Poland defender Thiago Cionek gave Senegal a 1-0 lead in the first half.
• M’Baye Niang intercepted a botched Poland pass and scored easily to give Senegal the 2-0 lead.
• Poland scored a late goal to cut Senegal’s advantage to 2-1.
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Here’s how Senegal beat Poland:
92’: Poland Corner Collected
Another corner to Poland is collected by N’Diaye. Both sides look tense.
90’: Time Running Out for Poland
Four minutes of injury time ... four minutes for Poland.
87’: GOAL! Poland Cuts Senegal’s Lead
Poland back in with a chance. It’s 2-1. A long free kick found the head of Krychowiak and then the net. But time is short for an equalizer.
85’: Senegal Not Laying Back
Senegal is not controlling the ball with the lead the way Japan did earlier today. Rather, it is pressing forward. That could mean a third goal, or a chance for Poland.
How the Second Goal Happened
More on Goal No. 2. M’Baye Niang had left the field for treatment shortly beforehand. He returned, with the full permission of the referee, but apparently Poland didn’t realize he was back and it contributed to his easy goal.
After coming off injured, Niang is waved on by the referee and almost immediately wins the ball and scores. #SEN pic.twitter.com/5Z28h0wv49
— The Athletic Soccer (@TheAthleticSCCR) June 19, 2018
77’: Poland Can’t Crack Senegal Defense
Poland is struggling to get it behind the Senegal defense, which is putting everyone behind the ball. And they are somehow going to have to do it twice.
71’: Poland Turns Up the Heat
Poland has turned up the offensive pressure but Senegal is so far up to the challenge. Milik, Lewandowki’s attack partner, kicked a shot wide.
60’: GOAL! Senegal Leads, 2-0
Poland tried a back pass, but M’Baye Niang was there and poached it away. The keeper futilely charged out of his net, which left it wide open for the easiest of goals.
Andrew Das: Disaster for Poland there, as they’re caught napping. But there will be anger over how that goal came to be, too. Niang was lurking way off to the right on the touch line, next to a Senegalese sub poised to come on. But as his team won control, he drifted toward the play, and when a long ball became a 50/50 chance, he outsprinted a defender and the charging goalkeeper to it. When he won that race, the goal was inevitable.
57’: Good Look for Poland, but a Miss
A cross found Piszczek of Poland racing to goal, but he topped the shot.
55’: Clamps on Lewandowski
When Lewandowski got the ball at the edge of the box, Wague was on top of him, leaning in and pushing him away from goal. In seconds, more Senegal players arrived. Good defending.
54’: Senegal Stalls
Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr, mortally wounded a minute ago, jogs back to midfield when the referee from Bahrain helpfully comes over to tell him his act isn’t working.
51’: Lewandowski Shoots, Senegal Saves!
A great free kick by Lewandowski drew a diving save from Senegal’s keeper, Khadim N’Diaye. Save of the match so far.
50’: Yellow for Sane
Lewandowski stole the ball at the center circle, broke free and raced toward goal. Sane pulled him down from behind and drew a yellow card. Luckily for Senegal it was just outside the penalty box.
49’: Poland Pushing Now
Maciej Rybus got behind the Senegal defense. Too far behind. Offsides.
46’: Where’s Lewandowski?
The second half begins. Poland needs to get Robert Lewandowski involved to find the net.
Andrew Das: Blaszczykowski went off at halftime, so he was clearly injured. The man who replaced him, Jan Bednarek, nearly goes off himself two minutes into the half after hitting his head on the hip of Sabaly clearing a ball in the area. He shakes it off and stays on, but he’s still rubbing his head as they sort out the free kick after the foul on Lewandowski.
Halftime: Senegal leads, 1-0
Neither side looked fluid, but Senegal benefited from a deflection and gained the 1-0 lead. Poland passed better and more often, while Senegal led in shots, 4-2, and corners, 2-1. But what mattered was the angle the ball happened to carom off Cionek.
Andrew Das: The central defender who scored the own goal, Thiago Cionek, was born in Brazil. He applied for Polish citizenship in 2011, relying on ancestral links, after a unsuccessful career in Brazil and (briefly) Portugal led him to try his luck in Poland.
Poland kind of stumbled into the half there, still bummed about the own goal. Senegal, while not exactly scintillating, and definitely a bit lucky on the goal, will be pleased to have what it will consider a deserved lead. The goal also makes it 16 straight games with a goal to open the World Cup; the scoreless draw is the one thing no one is in a hurry to see return.
43’: Senegal Corner Goes Nowhere
Corner for Senegal. Salif Sane headed it directly downward. Not the direction he sought.
39’: GOAL! Senegal
Mane held the ball for a moment in the center, and passed to Idrissa Gueye. He fired at goal, and it caromed off Poland’s Cionek and into the net. Cionek grabbed his head in despair.
The official scorer has that as an own goal, although the redirection by Cionek was inadvertent.
Andrew Das: Brutal break for Cionek there. He had come back to provide cover for Pazdan, but when Pazdan went down to block the shot, Cionek lost sight of it for a quick second — just long enough for it to hit him in the left leg and wrong-foot Szczesny, who had no chance.
That play started with Niang outmuscling Blaszczykowski at midfield, and the Pole doesn’t look right. He had called the trainer over on the last offside call, and during that brief break before the goal he sat down for some treatment on his right ankle while everyone else grabbed a drink. Worth watching his movements.
37’: Hurts on Both Sides
Players on both sides were treated (including, worryingly for Poland, Lewandowski). Everyone else grabbed some water.
35’: Swing and a Miss
A good cross by Senegal. Diouf swung his head at it hard, but the head found only air.
32’: Senegal Steals, then Poland Steals
Great steal by Mane of Senegal deep in his own territory. He launched into one of his long runs, but was stripped before the offense could rev into gear.
29’: Game Slows to a Crawl
Both teams continue to struggle to put an attack together. There have been a number of bad passes and miscommunications on both sides. Officially both teams have two shots, but nothing has troubled the keepers.
Andrew Das: We’ve entered the stand around and pass the ball back and forth very carefully portion of today’s match.
Let’s hope it’s short.
24’: Lewandowski Misses
Poland again in the box, and Lewandowski executed a turn and shoot. He was marked though, and it went wide.
20’: Poland Mounts a Counter Attack, but Miss
Jacek Grosicki’s diving header went over. Not many sightings yet of the offensive stars, Lewandowski and Mane.
Andrew Das: Senegal has definitely had the better chances early on. Senegal also has had the worse final, decisive touches early on, so their chances have mostly been wasted. But just the suggestion of the speed of Sané and Niang up front has Poland’s back line wary.
19’: Senegal Wastes Opportunity
Sabaly of Senegal with the interception, a nice run and a nice pass. But the recipient, Niang, shanked it.
17’: Poland Deals With Senegal Pressure
Sarr of Senegal took a run amidst several defenders and went down when he reached the penalty box. He appealed, but no call.
13’: Senegal’s Free Kick Goes Wide
Grzegorz Krychowiak of Poland gave it away, and to try to make up for it chased down Niang and brought him down from behind. That’s a yellow card. The free kick was sent wide.
8’: Senegal Attacks First
M’baye Niang shoots, and it is collected by keeper Szczesny of Poland, though it was going across the goal not in it.
Andrew Das: This is a seriously Poland-friendly crowd here today, and they roar to life at even the hint of a chance, or a burst, or anything positive. But Senegal is composed, and tight defensively, and they don’t look overwhelmed at all. They’re playing a very high line defensively, though, and with Robert Lewandowski prowling, that’s always a risk.
5’: Battle of the Midfield
No one’s gotten a shot off in the first five minutes as the teams duel in the midfield. Poland maybe have slightly the best of the play so far.
Kickoff!
Poland in white and Senegal in green. Senegal will try to uphold the honor of Africa, which has lost every match at the Cup. Morocco and Egypt were unlucky, and Tunisia hung tough against England. But 0-4 is 0-4.
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