Football, Qatar 2022: five winners of Poland against San Marino (5-0)
There is the return of Luca Censoni to the center of the field, in the starting eleven of San Marino in Warsaw. In front of almost 60,000 spectators, recalled also for the farewell to Fabianski’s national team after 57 tokens for a sold out Narodowy Stadion, Franco Varrella finds captain Davide Simoncini from the first minute. A look also at suspicious players (even seven for San Marino) and players not yet at their best, in view of Tuesday’s match against Andorra: back-to-back defense with Battistini, Brolli and Palazzi. The Golinucci brothers alongside Censoni and a short trio in front with Vitaioli, Hirsch and Mularoni. Of these, Simoncini and Hirsch are playing with the sword of Damocles of the warning.
It is the captain’s first decisive intervention, when the 4 ‘of play runs: split on the near post to intercept Kozlowski’s grazing cross and avoid dangers much more concrete than the thrill run by Benedettini. Poland pushed, supported by the whole stadium – which applauded the San Marino anthem and the entry into the field of the Titans -. At 7 ‘a diagonal of the usual Kozlowski calls the San Marino extreme to the low hold, while a minute later Klich tries from the edge, but his left-footed counter leap comes out by a whisker. Polish pressure vents in the 10 ‘, when Lewandowski can kick from inside the area, but Benedettini rejects. On the continuation of the action, Kozlowski challenges Battistini on the outside and crosses in the center for Swiderski who stands out inside the small area and unlocks the score. Position in the game of a few millimeters, as evidenced by the long control carried out at the VAR for the assignment of the third goal in six games to the home attacker.
Around the quarter of an hour Poland nearly doubled, but Palazzi and Hirsch – in two consecutive situations – are monumental. First, on a ball that Alessandro Golinucci is unable to remove and played on the left-handed chain, Palazzi is good at closing at the far post where Frankowski was trying to close with an empty goal. On the corner he generates, a spike weapons the conclusion of Frankowski himself, this time walled by Hirsch. Shy Polish protests over Hirsch’s opposition, but the replay shows how the touch came with the thigh.
A slowdown that is not used to determine the methods of doubling the house. Frankowskisfonda in the lane and crosses low, where the unfortunate goalkeeper of Brolli arrives to beat his own goalkeeper. San Marino tries to start again, but lacks precision in the corridors that opens at restarts. The hosts do not even skimp on hard interventions, such as the ram received by Vitaioli in the 25th minute. A moment before, Paulo Sousa’s men had come close to scoring a third, thanks to a lavish flying control from Lewandowski – able to serve Swiderski immediately -. Conclusion contracted by Brolli, then two crazy closures by Censoni: the first is very risky and decisive, with a slip behind the opponent, the following peremptory on Lewandowski’s destroyer – slinging on the wandering. The Polish captain’s goal arrives at half an hour, but it is not valid: Jović’s whistle immediately recognizes a charge from the Bayern Munich striker against Palazzi. San Marino then tries to relax, reaching the limit with Vitaioli, but the white and red third line closes on the diagonal of the San Marino striker – 68 appearances tonight, like Davide Simoncini -. Poland that becomes dangerous in the 33rd minute with Kozlowski, but Benedettini stretches out on his right and extends for a corner. Previously Linetty was booked for a foul from behind on Manuel Battistini who was leading the restart. The Turin midfielder, warned, will miss the delicate trip to Albania.
In the final of the fraction Lewandowski comes back to try, he is with a destroyed limb that Benedettini manages to reject laterally, where Frankowski arrives first of all to shoot in the corners. There is not in the first half in Warsaw, not even in the three stoppages in which Poland continues to achieve something else without being able to free conclusions towards the Benedictine goal.
Two changes on each side when returning from the locker room, where Poland can benefit from a position conquered and executed without results by Lewandwoski – also on the field for the second half, a difference from what happened in San Marino -. Sousa’s men find the way to 3-0 in the 50th minute, on the effects of an avoidable corner. Benedettini is amazing on Swiderski’s crazy heel, then Helik hits the post from two steps. The ball becomes good for Kedziora who kicks full leg hitting Palazzi in the head before inflating the bag. Hard blow for the San Marino defender, forced to leave the field: in his place Fabbri. At 57 ‘and not surprisingly, Fabianski leaves the field – at the 57th and last with the jersey of his national team -. In his place Majecki, who awaits him in the queue of a corridor formed by the players of both teams. However, there is half an hour to play, in a World Cup qualifying match, and guarding is prohibited.
In fact, the Poles certainly do not face the last third of the game with distraction, returning to be placed on the 61st minute: Placheta looks for the second post, where Kedseeziora arrives on time but fails to turn on goal. The exit of Benedettini was quick and denied the central defensive player a second attempt. Four minutes later Lewandwoski’s game ends, which the pitch with visible disappointment: the champion who left has scored in all the home games of the group, for example the match against England, and failed to reach Zahavi and Depays who precede him by a network – both at 7 – in the European Qualifiers’ top scorers. In its place Sousa launches Moder, author of the goal of the equalizer at Wembley.
The game seems to go smoothly, but Poland’s changes rekindle the final. Moder bypasses two opponents near the bottom line, then unloads at the near post where Benedettini is waiting for his right. At 84 ‘Bernardi receives instead in the circle of midfield, turning very well on the left-handed and then exploding a great conclusion that Majecki controls between the spot and the small area. The action relaunched by the home goalkeeper point then opens up in the 4-0, with the pocket for Buksa – bagged in the 72nd minute – that freddadettini with a precise dish. Now the public is back to push Poland, which raises the engine speed in the final: Alessandro Golonucci spends a card to slow down a restart, while Piatek tastes the readiness of Benedictines with a too soft diagonal. The former AC Milan striker will score in the first minute of injury time, making himself ready on the edge of the small area after a breakthrough and a manual assist from Bereszynski.
The match report
POLAND [4-4-2]
Fabianski (from 57 ‘Majecki); Gumny, Helik, Kedziora, Placheta; Frankowski (from 66 ‘Bereszynski), Klich (from 46’ Piatek), Linetty, Kozlowski; Swiderski (from 72 ‘Buksa), Lewandowski (from 66’ Moder)
Available: Skorupski, Dawidowicz, Bednarek, Jozwiak, Buka, Glik, Zielinski, Puchacz
Coach: Paulo Sousa
SAN MARINO [4-3-3]
E. Benedettini; but. Battistini, Brolli (from 74 ‘Rossi), D. Simoncini, Palazzi (from 53’ Fabbri); E. Golinucci, Censoni (from 46 ‘Grandoni), A. Golinucci; Mularoni, Vitaioli (from 74 ‘Vitaioli), Hirsch (from 46’ D. Tomassini)
Available: S. Benedettini, Zavoli, D’Addario, Mi. Battistini, Ceccaroli, Zonzini, Zafferani
Coach: Franco Varrella
Referee: Fran Jovic (CRO)
Assistants: Hrvoje Radić (CRO) and Luka Pušic (CRO)
Fourth Officer: Dario Bel (CRO)
VAR: Mario Zebec (CRO)
AVAR: Bojan Zobenica (CRO)
Markers: 10 ‘Swiderski, 20’ aut. Brolli, 50 ‘Kedziora, 84’ Buksa, 90 ‘+ 1’ Piatek
warned: Linetty, A. Golinucci