Defensive errors punish Saudi Arabia against Poland

Poland defeated Saudi Arabia by 2 goals to 0 in the second matchday of Group C. The defeated team was more in control and had a greater number of scoring chances than the Polish team, but defensive errors penalized them and they ended up losing the match. Poland would have found it very difficult to qualify for the round of 16 had they lost.

The Saudi team had the first big chance of the match, but Polish goalkeeper Szczesny made a great save. Undoubtedly, the best player of the match. Midfielder Piotr Zielinski gave Poland a 1-0 lead in the 39th minute. Just before halftime, Saudi Arabia could have equalized from the penalty spot, but Szczesny went on to save the penalty and the subsequent rebound.

In the second half, the Polish goalkeeper again made a great save in the 55th minute. Saudi Arabia was growing but Poland started to have clear chances. In the 63rd minute, striker Milik hit the crossbar and, 120 seconds later, Poland's star player Robert Lewandowski's shot hit the post. Lewandowski's goal came in the 82nd minute, when he took advantage of a mistake by the Saudi defense to score the second and final goal (2-0).

With this victory, Poland takes first place in Group C and Saudi Arabia provisionally second, pending the outcome of the match between Argentina and Mexico. The Polish national team is depending on itself to reach the round of 16.