A penalty saved by goalkeeper Szcz?sny in an agonizing penalty shootout (0-0, 4-5) awarded the last ticket to this summer’s Euro Cup to the Polish team. At 35 years old, Robert Lewandowski will once again participate in a major national team tournament, possibly his last. Since his appearance in the elite, the Barça footballer had played in the World Cup in Qatar and the last three European Championships. And although he could not be a protagonist in the qualifying phase, he was only able to score 3 goals in 8 games, nor in the play-offs, where he scored the first goal of the penalty shootout, will he once again be the flagship of a national team in Germany at a time of clear generational change. In the Euro Cup they will face France, the Netherlands and Austria.
The match against the Welsh team was presided over by extreme caution. A prize as desired as a ticket to the Euro Cup required maximum concentration from both teams, who never gave up their defense. Both had periods of dominance, but there were no clear chances in either goal as a result of nerves.
Wales’ best approaches were always born from set pieces. The size of their centre-backs was exploited in corners, lateral fouls and even throw-ins. Davies, Moore and Mepham connected on several shots that could never surprise Szcz?sny.
Poland started out much more dominant, but as the minutes went by, Wales came into the rival area with more prominence. Zalewski was Lewandowski’s best ally among the Poles, his driving was one of the best on his team in the first half. In the second, the Polish team was losing confidence. Zielinski and Lewandowski did not come into play and it was not until the final minutes that they took a step forward. A shot from Lewandowski himself from the edge of the area came close to breaking the tie. In extra time the Polish team imposed its greatest technical quality, but the goals did not come. In the penalty shootout everyone scored until Szcz?sny stopped James in the decisive penalty.
The Ukrainian team will also be in Germany, which was forced to overcome Gudmundsson’s goal in the first half. Girona winger Tsygankov, as soon as the second half began, and Mudryk, with five minutes remaining, turned the score around in a match in which they deserved much more. This classification is a milestone for a country that has been at war for two years and that has to play its matches, including last night’s one, in Poland. Belgium, Slovakia and Romania will be their rivals in group E.
For his part, Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili dressed as a hero in the penalty shootout against Greece and qualified the Georgia team for its first European Championship after a match that ended goalless after 120 minutes of play. The Georgians, led by Frenchman Willy Sangol, and with Kvaratskhelia as the most important player, made history since since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 they had never played in a tournament of nations. In the next Eurocup they will be in group F, along with Turkey, Portugal and the Czech Republic.
