Ewan Murray National Stadium
Gordon Strachan will cherish the point garnered from Warsaw more than the part his Scotland team played in a captivating qualification tie. Poland’s recent glory means they will not be downbeat about the result either.
This was gripping, engrossing fare for 55,000 spectators. Scotland held the lead for 19 second-half minutes before the restoration of parity which nobody could argue Poland deserved. Scotland remain on course for their first appearance at a major finals since 1998; how Strachan has revitalised the nation’s fortunes.
Strachan has never been an easy manager to second guess with regard to team selection and so it proved again here, with arguably Scotland’s best performer from the Saturday win over Georgia, Andy Robertson, left among the substitutes. Steven Whittaker took his place at left-back.
The size of the ovation as Poland’s players took to the field for their warm-up hinted at their new-found status. Success over Germany on Saturday bestowed adulation upon Adam Nawalka and his squad; it also intensified Polish interest in what was already a key match against the Scots.
A Scottish problem has been a failure to win qualification games away from home when it matters. There was, however, hope to be derived from a friendly victory in Poland during March. As irrelevant as Strachan claimed that result was, it cannot have done his squad any harm.
The visitors’ start was duly impressive. It endorsed Strachan’s insistence that he has a team of players who have grown more comfortable in possession over time.
Scotland should have been handed a scoring opportunity 19 yards from goal with only six minutes gone, the referee instead failing to punish Kamil Glik for a clear foul on Steven Fletcher. There was similar leniency from Alberto Mallenco at the opposite end as Gordon Greer was late on Robert Lewandowski.
Poland’s next attack was to produce a lead they barely merited, a situation which owed everything to an Alan Hutton mistake. The Aston Villa man’s clumsy touch sent the ball right to the feet of Krzysztof Maczynski, who returned it with interest. The outstretched hand of David Marshall was in vain, with the low shot finding the net via the left-hand post of Scotland’s goalkeeper.
Hutton played a part in almost instant atonement. He started a move which resulted in a terrific diagonal pass from Fletcher to Ikechi Anya. The winger pulled the ball from the air with his right foot before crossing with his left; Shaun Maloney was on hand to stroke the ball home from close range.
Only 18 minutes had been played and this was already a fine match, played in an equally strong atmosphere, where initiative ebbed and flowed between the teams. Fletcher’s hold-up play was a strong feature of Scotland’s attacking efforts but the home side carried menace themselves when moving forward.
Lewandowski was denied by an excellent challenge from Whittaker seven minutes before the interval. With Marshall exposed by a Waldemar Sobota cut-back, the intervention was crucial.
Scotland had enjoyed the larger share of possession during that opening period. Perhaps irked by such a statistic, the Poles began the second half firmly on the front foot. Two decent chances had been missed within four minutes of the restart, largely thanks to a series of set-plays. The referee, it should be noted, was in the midst of a seriously erratic night.
Another act of officialdom triggered Scotland’s second goal, albeit legitimately this time. After a foul on the advancing Maloney, James Morrison supplied a teasing delivery which completely bemused the Polish defence. Steven Naismith touched the ball beyond Wojciech Szczesny, possibly only with his boot laces, to send the 3,600-strong Scottish support into raptures and the home contingent into a state of disbelief. This looked the most meaningful singular moment of Strachan’s tenure so far.
Naismith’s goal triggered a Polish onslaught. Mindful of this, Strachan introduced Darren Fletcher in a bid to close some midfield doors. Yet Marshall was not properly troubled, with the Scots also retaining a sense of danger on the counter-attack. Maloney saw a fierce, angled shot saved by Szczesny after more fine play from Anya.
Just when Poland seemed to be labouring, two touches of blissful simplicity hauled them level. Artur Jedrzejczk played a pass inside Hutton, with Arkadiusz Milik stepping forward to meet it. The man who scored Poland’s first goal in the defeat of Germany left Marshall helpless with a ferocious shot. Scotland’s grand aspirations had been curtailed once again.
Now for the Alamo. Lewandowski was denied by Marshall before Kamil Grosicki struck a post; Sebastian Mila could only blast the rebound wide with the goal gaping in front of him. That was to prove Poland’s last opportunity; shattered and weary, Scotland had taken what they came here for.
