Michael O’Neill stared into the middle distance as Kyle Lafferty covered his face in his green shirt, Jonny Evans sank to his haunches and despair was writ large on all Northern Ireland players. They had sought to make history in the country’s first appearance at a European Championship but Poland beat them to it, recording their first victory in the finals of this competition after two fruitless campaigns. Anguish was legitimate but so was defeat.
Poland were dominant throughout against a side that set out to stifle, absorb and counterattack the threat of Robert Lewandowski and co but could not complete the job. Arkadiusz Milik’s strike early in the second half, after the Northern Ireland manager had loosened the rigid defensive shackles, settled a game that exposed the strengths of those in green but also their limitations.
Where O’Neill deployed two wing-backs who played in the third tier of English football last season, Fleetwood Town’s Conor McLaughlin and Millwall’s Shane Ferguson, Poland’s manager, Adam Nawalka, could call on Bartosz Kapustka to replace the injury-hit Kamil Grosicki. The 19-year-old winger from Cracovia Krakow shone alongside the outstanding Grzegorz Krychowiak and Poland had total control in midfield, denying Northern Ireland time to break, distribute or threaten in the process. Wojciech Szczesny was not troubled in the Poland goal once until clattering a team-mate in stoppage time.
“Poland started very brightly and maybe we didn’t expect that type of start,” the Northern Ireland manager said. “You look at our team – two lads playing at wing- back who play their football at League One level and others who don’t play regularly for their clubs. It was a fantastic occasion, there was the prestige of the game and maybe there was an element [of the occasion getting to his players] in some aspects of our play. It took us a while to settle. We struggled to get a foothold in the game and that was down to the physicality of the Poland players. They were very powerful in every area of the team and we have to adapt because I don’t envisage Ukraine will be any different.”
Northern Ireland’s leading goalscorer was more blunt in his appraisal. “I think we were overawed,” said Lafferty. “The whole performance was not a Northern Ireland performance. We didn’t turn up.” That verdict was harsh on Steven Davis, central defenders Evans, Gareth McAuley and Craig Cathcart, plus goalkeeper Michael McGovern, but he had a point.
O’Neill’s side did well to survive the opening five minutes without conceding, never mind a first half in which a resolute rearguard action, excellent goalkeeping, good fortune and poor Polish finishing kept Northern Ireland in the game. The remarkable rise of O’Neill’s team has been based on defensive discipline and organisation but they stretched it to the limit in Nice. At times, the Northern Ireland performance resembled a fitting tribute to Muhammad Ali, attempting to revive rope-a-dope tactics in the week ‘The Greatest’ was laid to rest.
Nawalka’s players swarmed over the men in green from the outset. Poland were quicker to the ball and crossed from both flanks under minimal pressure as the opening game in Group C resembled a game of defence versus attack. “You can only go for it if you have the ball,” was O’Neill’s cutting observation when asked about Northern Ireland’s minimal attacking threat. “The disappointment is that in qualifying that was a game we would have found a way to get back into, but Poland are a strong team.”
The game was played amid a vibrant, passionate and hugely welcome atmosphere and, despite the risky strategy, Northern Ireland’s game plan worked until the interval. McGovern, the Hamilton Academical goalkeeper, did not have a save to make until the 29th minute, when the lively Milik let fly from 25 yards. The Ajax forward sliced over the game’s first clear opening moments later.
Davis put in a tireless shift not only as the link between eight defensive players and Lafferty but in trying to curb Krychowiak’s ability to dictate proceedings from deep in central midfield. There was little opportunity for others to venture forward on the counterattack. Lafferty was a lone and lonely centre-forward.
The pressure on the Northern Ireland defence, if not perhaps their goal, was unrelenting and encouraged O’Neill to tweak his approach. Stuart Dallas replaced Paddy McNair at half-time to give the team an outlet but within six minutes Poland had the lead. Jakub Blaszczykowski, a persistent menace on the right, instigated the breakthrough with a determined run and measured pass inside to Milik. The striker released his shot instantly, giving two Northern Ireland defenders no chance to block as the ball arrowed through Cathcart’s legs and inside McGovern’s left-hand corner.
Northern Ireland had to open up despite the inevitability of presenting Poland with chances to double their lead, a task Blaszczykowski, Milik and Krychowiak were unable to deliver from second-half breaks. Their only genuine chance fell to Davis when Oliver Norwood’s clever free-kick found the captain peeling away inside the area. There was only Szczesny to beat but the captain failed to connect and a glorious opportunity had gone.
They have it all to do against Ukraine in Lyon on Thursday.
