Three points from three matches – that’s Poland’s record at the halfway mark of the Nations League campaign. The White and Reds managed their only victory against Scotland (3-2) in Glasgow, then lost 0-1 to Croatia in Osijek and 1-3 to Portugal in Warsaw. On Tuesday, Poland faced Croatia, and a potential loss would have significantly diminished their chances of reaching the play-offs. In such a case, the most likely scenario would be fighting in relegation playoffs to stay in the top division of the Nations League.
Probierz didn’t have an easy task before the match against Croatia. After the game against Portugal, Sebastian Walukiewicz and Jakub Piotrowski left the national team’s camp. Then it was revealed that Robert Lewandowski was dealing with a slight injury, which meant he was not in the starting lineup for the first time since June 16, when Poland faced the Netherlands (1-2) at the European Championship. However, Lewandowski was available on the bench and participated in the pre-match warm-up.
A Great Start for Poland, Then Three Blows: What a Match at the National Stadium
At the beginning of the match, Poland played boldly and regularly appeared in Croatia’s half. Compared to the match against Portugal, this good start paid off this time. In the fifth minute, Jan Bednarek won a duel with Igor Matanović in the midfield. Kacper Urbański dribbled past two opponents and played a through ball from the left wing toward Piotr Zieliński, and the captain of the White and Reds scored with his left foot inside the opponent's box, beating Dominik Livaković.
Poland tried to build on their momentum. In the 11th minute, Jakub Kiwior took a long-range shot from outside the Croatian penalty area, though it was off target, but he still received applause from the fans for the effort. One of the most active players for Poland was Urbański. The Croatians played very cautiously during the first quarter of the match.
As it turned out later, after a promising start, Poland faced a brutal reality check. By the 20th minute, the score was tied 1-1 when a free kick resulted in the ball falling just outside Poland's penalty area, and Borna Sosa volleyed it into the net. Five minutes later, Croatia led 2-1 after a combination between Petar Sucic and Martin Baturina. Sucic dribbled past the defense and scored past Marcin Bułka with a shot inside the far post. By the 26th minute, Croatia was up 3-1 when Baturina's shot went through Bułka’s legs.
In the 35th minute, Kamiński took a sharp-angled shot at Croatia’s goal, but Livaković made a solid save. After conceding three goals, the fans lost their enthusiasm, and the atmosphere at the National Stadium quickly quieted down. The true anti-hero of the first half was Paweł Dawidowicz, whose mistakes contributed to Croatia's goals.
The tide turned in the 44th minute. Kamiński played a through ball to Nicola Zalewski, who shot towards the far post, making the score 2-3.
Bułka Becomes Poland's Hero: What a Story at the National Stadium, 3-3
At the start of the second half, Marcin Bułka became the hero for Poland, making several excellent saves, including efforts from Andrej Kramaric, Luka Modric, and Ante Budimir. In the 48th minute, Zalewski had another chance, but this time Livaković made a good save.
In the 62nd minute, Robert Lewandowski came onto the pitch and quickly had a scoring opportunity inside Croatia’s penalty area, but he missed a header from a Sebastian Szymański cross. Six minutes later, Poland equalized at 3-3.
Kamil Piątkowski played a long ball towards Lewandowski, who ran into the box and maintained possession. Lewandowski then passed to Szymański, who struck towards the far post, celebrating a goal in his 40th appearance for the national team.
In the 76th minute, fortune smiled on Poland. Ivan Perisic played the ball back to Livaković, but the Croatian goalkeeper made a critical error by fouling Lewandowski with his leg. The referee showed Livaković a red card, meaning Poland played with a man advantage for the last quarter of the game. Nediljko Labrović came on as the substitute goalkeeper. After the red card, Croatia focused primarily on defense. Poland, however, was unable to create any clear-cut chances.
In addition to Lewandowski, Michael Ameyaw and Maxi Oyedele came on as substitutes. Later, Piotr Zieliński had to leave the pitch due to an injury and was replaced by Bartosz Kapustka, returning to the national team after nearly eight years. Although the fans at the National Stadium were clamoring for a 4-3 winner for Poland, the match ended in a 3-3 draw.
The draw at the National Stadium keeps Poland’s chances of reaching the quarterfinal play-offs of the Nations League alive, as they are now just three points behind second-placed Croatia. In the November international break, Poland will play away against Portugal and at home against Scotland.
