However! Peep what we’ve got for you next! Dive in folks, and thanks for your company and comments this afternoon. Enjoy the evening.
So that, I’m afraid, is Group E. Sweden win it and will meet the Czech Republic next I think but I could be wrong, while Spain come second and will face Croatia. Slovakia and Poland, despite brave efforts, are off hame.
Updated
Here’s Jonathan Wilson’s report of one of the best games we’ve seen so far:
Re Niall O’Keefe’s point about Poles in the Premier League,” says Elias Wahlberg, “Marcelo Bielsa said in November that Mateusz Klich ‘could play in all the best teams’. He was quiet today but I wouldn’t question Bielsa. Nor should anyone else.”
Spoken like a true Guardianista.
Spain, by the way, will meet Croatia next – that should be a nice little go-around. As a result of Slovakia’s plight, Ukraine have progressed, which is a lot more than their performance against Austria deserved.
Updated
That was a lot of fun, and credit for that goes to both teams. Sweden played like a team fighting for their own qualification, scored three lovely goals, and the introduction of Dejan Kulusevski might just’ve found them a different dimension. Poland, meanwhile, refused to give in, and led by the divine Robert Lewandowski almost saved themselves. They’ll be feeling a lot of regret for the way they performed against Slovakia – who also go home after being shmiced by Spain.
Updated
Full-time: Sweden 3-2 Poland
Sweden win the group and now wait to see who’s next; Poland finish bottom of the group and will definitely go home. Phew!
Updated
GOAL! Sweden 3-2 Poland (Claesson 90+4)
Dejan Kulusevski can play ball! He takes possession of it on the left edge of the box, performing a pirouette Zidane-style before slipping in Claesson, who draws the keeper – it’s a pretty good likeness too - does him with the eyes, and sweeps inside the near post! Sweden are going to win the group! Poland are going out!
Updated
90+3 min Sweden have countered well this half and do again, the ball finding its way to Larsson, who tries a free-kick finish from open play, swinging not far over the bar.
90+2 min Poland win a free-kick just inside the Sweden half and send everyone up. The ball in, though, only reaches the edge of the box and Sweden get it away.
90+1 min Frankowski sticks another cross towards the penalty spot, but Lewandowski’s dropped off and Swierczok can’t get a head on it.
90 min There’ll be five of them. Hang on to your hair!
90 min There’ve been three goals and a load of changes this half – we should get a fair few more glorious minutes.
89 min Lewandowski pulls left again and this time he curls a nasty, hissing cross that Olsen has to palm away. Again, Poland sustain the attack, and when a further cross comes in, Frankowski’s header is smothered by the leaping Lindelof.
88 min Goodness me this is tense now, and Bereszynski humps a cross beyond the back post; Lewandowski feathers it back to earth and Poland build again...
86 min We talked about the Ukraine performance earlier, and the big difference between how they’ve played and how Poland have played is Poland’s intensity. But Poland have also been backed up by a proactive manager who hasn’t hung around hoping for something to happen but instead di all he cold to force something to happen.
GOAL! Sweden 2-2 Poland (Lewandowski 84)
HERE HE IS! Frankowski swerves a decent cross into the box, and Lindelof is dealing with it ... until Danielson panics – what would Mr Miyagi say – and goes up too, meaning no clearance happens. Instead, the ball carries on through to Lewandowski, and from six yards, he passes into the net! This is what you get if you stick at things, and now Poland need just one goal to qualify, while Spain are top of the group!
Updated
83 min Kulusevski skates past Glick, wo shoves him and is booked. Seconds later, so is Poland’s assistant manager (I think).
83 min Poland are still going at it, and I wonder how things might’ve gone had Milik been available. I know he’s cost them in tournaments in the past – 2016 springs to mind – but someone to clear a path for Lewandowski might’ve helped.
81 min But they win a corner and when it’s only half-cleared, Placheta is on-hand to welly even further into the middle of nowhere than Selhurst Park.
80 min Frankowski bustles down the left and snaps over a fine low cross ... but there’s no one there to poke it home.
Updated
80 min “Surely Anis Aslaam’s analysis confirms that Football is Definitely, Certainly, Undeniably, Most Assuredly, Coming Home!” reasons Peter Oh. “It must be frustrating for the Poles that despite the best efforts of Klich and Glik, they have failed to click. The view from the top of Group E. How Swede it is!”
As far as I understand it, football never left. This country, always doing itself down.
79 min Another Poland change, Placheta coming on for Krychowiak.
78 min Ultimately, you can’t be tossing in an 82-second goal in a must-win game and expect things to go your way.
77 min Emil Forsberg, who’s scored with two fine finishes, takes a well-earned break. Claeson replaces him.
76 min “Just curious,” says Niall O’Keeffe. “Apart from Lewandowski, are there any Polish players that are, say, top six in the Premier League standard? Seems to be that the main man is getting far less support than Modric got yesterday from his Croatian team mates.”
Zielinski is a player and could definitely be good enough. The others, I’m not sure.
75 min Krychowiak is late on Olsson and is booked.
74 min Poland send on Kozlowski for Klich.
73 min Spain now lead Slovakia 5-0, thanks to a second own goal. Eesh.
Updated
71 min I wonder who’ll play for Sweden in the last 16 game. Quaison did well today, but I’d bet that whichever defence they end up facing would want to face Kulusevski least.
70 min ...but it’s better time, flat and into the middle of the box, where Krychowiak heads away. But Forsberg retrieves possession, shifts it well to create a shooting lane, and whumps a shot that flies just past the near post.
70 min Sweden win a free-kick down the right, which Larsson will take. His delivery’s been poor today...
69 min Spain now leads Slovakia 4-0, Torres with the goal.
Updated
69 min Another change for Sweden, Krafth replacing Lustig.
68 min This has been a terrific game.
66 min Poland have the ball in the net, Swierczok – who replaced Jozwiak in the maelstrom that followed that Lewandowski goal – taps in after the ball comes across from Krychowiak on the left of the box. But he was clearly offside, though confirmation takes a while.
65 min “Just checked how the knockout stage would look if things remained as they are,” says Anis Aslaam. “I think the actual big winner today would be England. Their greatest challenge would definitely be their last 16 encounter against anybody from Group F, but if that goes well, then only Sweden/Holland/Wales/Denmark would be a real threat on the route to the final. Not to overhype the English but they may fancy their chances. Gareth Southgate might be an unquestionable managerial genius after all.”
Yes, that’s true. But if is a very big world in this context. I actually think England could do Germany or Portugal; France, on the other hand.
63 min Slovakia, I’m afraid are going home. Sarabia has scored a third for Spain, and unless they pile in with two goals between now and full-time, they’ll lose out to Ukraine on goal difference.
WHAT A GOAL! Sweden 2-1 Poland (Lewandowski 61)
Or are they?! Zielinski sticks the ball into space behind the Sweden defence on the left, and when Lewandowski picks it up there’s nothing on. So he simply cuts inside and from 20 yards unfurls a screaming, spitting, rasping curler into the far top corner! He is good at association football!
Updated
GOAL! Sweden 2-0 Poland (Forsberg 59)
This is an absolute belter, and what a belting change! Krychowiak has a shot blocked and one header sticks Kulusevski away down the right. He screeches across the face of the box, feints to go outside Bednarek, then flicks a short pass the other way to Forsberg and he cleanses another fine finish past Szczesny! Poland are going home and Sweden are going to win the group!
Updated
58 min Glik nods the corner away and the ball bounces up nicely for Forsberg, who lashes somewhere towards Selhurst Park.
56 min Of course, because Poland’s midfielders are higher, there’s more space behind them, and Olsson attacks it, lashing a shot that’s blocked. But Sweden maintain pressure and Kulusevski combines really nicely with Isak down the right of the box, Isak forcing a shot from close range but a narrow angle that’s blocked behind.
55 min Change for Sweden, Kulusevski replacing Quaison.
55 min Poland’s midfielders are playing higher up the pitch and that’s allowing them to squeeze Sweden – though Sweden are comfortable defending their box.
Updated
54 min That said, Poland are struggling to create space and chances inside the Sweden box, and when the latest cross comes over, Lewandowski goes down requesting a penalty ... but the ref is having no such thing.
52 min Poland are coming, and now it’s Krychowiak on the ball just outside the box, drilling low and hard ... but again, Olsen is awake, diving right to shove away.
52 min Back to our game of Jeopardy, Alex Partenopei gives us “the great Ramon ‘El Loco’ Quiroga of Peru World Cup ‘78 fame, and I’ve just remembered Albert Quixall. When he signed for Man United, my grandad told meydad that “No player is worth £45,000”.
50 min But here comes Quaison, taking a first-time pass and finding himself in space and in behind. He’s crowded out quickly enough but the ball makes its way over to Forsberg, whose shot is blocked behind ... for a corner which comes to nowt.
49 min Frankowski stretches his legs and finds Zielinski, who clumps another shot just wide. He’s ticking!
48 min Poland need to get Zielinski on the ball whenever they can. He appears again and tries to persuade a pass into the path of Swiderski, but it’s intercepted.
47 min Zielinski is coming on a game now, and he ventures across the face of the box from right to left, then flings his entire corporeal into a shot that Olsen has to dive to paw away.
Updated
47 min “Having seen the half-time replay,” says Kári Tulinius, “I think Lewandowski’s miss is even worse than I first thought. Not only does he hit the bar twice with the goal at his mercy, the second rebound lands at his feet, but then it squeezes between his legs.”
The first effort was a really good one, but the second he could’ve blown in.
46 min Poland have made a change, Frankowski replacing Pucharz on the left of midfield. He’s a more attack-minded player, which obviously makes sense.
46 min We go again!
The players are back with us...
“I’m surprised by how Sweden are playing today,” returns Anis Aslaam. “But what’s even more surprising is how bad both Poland and Slovakia have been in their respective matches. While Poland aren’t playing that badly compared to Slovakia, there’s just been a serious gulf of class between teams from North/Western Europe and Eastern Europe. I think Jonathan Wilson highlighted this a few days ago. When you think about it, only Croatia have been consistently flying the flag for the east for quite some time now.”
Croatia are south, no? I’ve been thinking about Sweden, and I’m wondering if they’ve decided that to get further than the last 16 they need more of a goal-threat, and that’s why Quaison is playing and why they’re getting more men forward. But perhaps qualification just turned pressure into fun.
Check out the other game here...
Half-time email: “I have fond memories of Columbia’s classic South American number 10 Juan Quintero from the last World Cup,” says Alasdair Vickers – me too, I was sure both they and Chile would beat Brazil, bet Brazil wish they had – and Asad Butt gives us Quini of Atletico. But no, Quinton Fortune is now allowed.
As it stands: Sweden will win this group, Spain will come second, and Ukraine will take a third-placed spot. Slovakia and Poland are going out.
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhones or the Google Play store on Android phones by searching for 'The Guardian'.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the yellow button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on sport notifications.
Updated
Half-time: Sweden 1-0 Poland
Poland improved as the half progressed, but they’ll need to improve plenty more if they’re to get out of this.
45+3 min Aymeric Laporte has put Spain 2-0 up on Slovakia.
45+3 min Krychowiak moves the ball wide to Jozwiak, whose cross is so miserable it could be a member of the Labour party.
45+1 min Better again from Poland and better again from Zielinski, playing a wall-pass off Lewandowski, shifting the return, and clattering a left-footer just over the bar.
45 min There’ll be three added minutes.
45 min “All the Quinns (Mickey, Mighty, Niall)” says Jon Collin, while Brian Rottkamp notes Quagliarella and Nick Will gives us Quaresma.
44 min Poland are in charge now, Zielinski coming into the game. He’s not done anything yet, but him simply being on the ball is a major improvement.
42 min Jozwiak has a bit of space so opts to sling over a cross, but it’s not deep enough inside the box and again Sweden clear. Then, when the ball comes back, Olsen comes and claims well.
42 min Poland win another corner, and again Sweden see it away.
Updated
41 min Nigel Quashie is about the best I can do.
39 min Footballers who begin with Q would be a good round on Jeopardy.
Updated
37 min Poland knock it about in midfield before Swiderski switches play with a long, raking pass over the Pucharz down the left. It’s beautiful, in his mind. Back in reality, the ball sails into touch.
35 min Forsberg, who’s picking his passes really nicely, finds Quaison, whose liveliness is making a big difference, and the latter’s cross is deflected behind. Poland get the corner away but can’t fashion a counter, Lewandowski running out of pitch down the right.
34 min Bereszynski humps a ball to the back stick where Lewandowski is up, winning a corner off Lustig who’s up with him. But Zielinski’s delivery is off and Sweden clear easily enough.
33 min ...but Larsson hits the first man.
32 min Poland had an alright few minutes but now Sweden have a free-kick down the right, just outside the box...
30 min Spain have taken the lead against Slovakia, Morata with it. Not really, a shot hit the post, reared up, and Dubravka, facing his own net, patted it down into it like he was playing volleyball. That is absolutely absurd, hilarious, horrific behaviour.
29 min Swiderski crosses well from the right and Lewandowski is there in the middle, but Danielson again does well to clear before the ball reaches him. Poland are playing better now, but need to get Zielinski in the game because currently he’s doing nowt.
28 min It’s just occurred to me that I wagered a few pennies on Poland to win to nil, along with one or two others things in the other game. I think 82 seconds is a new PB for how quickly a bet has escaped my grasp.
26 min Drinks break for the players to “take on board fluids,” as my dictionary of Footballese tells me.
25 min “Now that you mention it,” emails Alexandre Chesnau, “the similarities between Poland-Sweden and Austria-Ukraine are uncanny. Both pit blue and yellow against white and red, and both feature an Eastern European side not turning up against a Western European team up for it and leading 1-0 early on (early being anything between 0 and 30 minutes). How strangely similar. Hope you have a good match (looks like Sweden have been replaced by Brazil overnight, so this should be good).”
This is already much better than that, and if you’d offered it me before kick-off then, as Ryan Giggs would say, I’d’ve took it.
24 min Lewandowski makes a decent run through the middle and away from Danielson, but Swiderski can’t find him with his through pass – there just wasn’t enough angle given the space between attacker and goalie.
22 min Spain let Morata take a penalty – it’s amazing, it really is. I will forever maintain that Diego Simeone signed him to ensure he was forever on a rolling boil.
21 min Of all the things I never expected to see, Long-throw Lindelof is right up there. He comes forward to hurl – ok, lob – one in, to no avail whatsoever.
20 min There’s a brief pause while Olsen receives treatment and we see those headers again. Lewandowski was maybe four yards out for the second one – I hate to say it, but it’s an absolutely atrocious miss.
17 min WHAT ON EARTH! Zielinski takes a terrific corner, swung out flat, and Lewandowski gets over the ball to meet it with a monstrous downwards header ... only for it to bounce up and crack the bar! But it’s still there to be won and Lewandowski reaches it first ... only this time he gets under it and hammers the bar! Wow! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that before! But what a miss!
Updated
16 min It’s Sweden dictating and Poland countering, the opposite of the game envisaged. I think the threat of Quaison, most particularly Quaison’s pace, is making a difference, but here comes Lewandowski outside the box, ramming a shot against Augustinsson’s shins to win a corner.
14 min AND SWEDEN SHOULD MAKE IT TWO! Augustinsson sticks Isak in behind and down the right, and Quaison is in the middle! A simple square ball and this is 2-0, but Isak takes an extra touch and Bereszynski slides in to intercept. The resultant corner comes to nowt.
13 min So far, this game is not unlike the Ukraine-Austria one from Monday in that one side has turned up and the other is performing a no-show.
12 min I feel guilty even typing this, but Alvaro Morata has missed a penalty for Spain; of course he has. Who on earth allowed him to take it, dearie me.
11 min The goal, apparently, came after 82 seconds, making it the second quickest in Euros history.
9 min This has been a terrific start from Sweden but a mistake by Danielson on halfway allows Swiderski to rob him. Naturally, Danielson hacks him down – he’ll be booked when play stops – but can Lewandowski gets away? No he cannot, he’s not got the gas, but it’s a start for his team.
Updated
8 min Sweden win a free-kick out on the left and Larsson gets set to swerve it in ... but picks out Krychowiak, who heads clearish.
6 min Poland have barely left their own half so far.
5 min You don’t want to be a goal down to any team, but on the list of all the teams to whom you don’t want to be a goal down, Sweden are near the top. Poland will be absolutely sick, but they’ve got plenty of time to unruin things.
3 min So for now, Sweden, Slovakia and Spain are going through, in that order.
GOAL! Sweden 1-0 Poland (Forsberg 2)
Well! Isak challenges for a high cross on the edge of the box, controlling superbly on his chest, on the leap. This allows Forsberg to collect before Isak takes over again, and when the ball squirts back to Forsberg after a challenge, he nips around Bednarek to drill a finish into the far corner! What a start!
Updated
1 min “I don’t think anyone has ever described the Swedish national team better than journalist Charles Boehm,” emails Kári Tulinius...
Sweden are organized and smart and rugged and just cynical enough to really have a shot at going all the way. The walking manifestation of that sinking feeling that it's not going to be your day.
— Charles Boehm (@cboehm) July 3, 2018
1 min Away we go!
“Just a quick point on your entry from 4.23,” says Gillis Holgersson. “It’s funny you should say that, since Swedes have taken issue with the first two games. Something of a national debate has raged, where some think we’ve been so boring it’s a national shame and others buy into the pragmatism. Personally, I don’t mind ‘boring’ football, but I mind bad football, and Sweden are yet to show what they can do. Between Forsberg, Olsson, Quaison and, yes, Isak, this team can play (a little bit). Let’s hope they show it today.”
Fair enough, I stand corrected (again1!).
Anthem time...
Here they come!
The players are tunnelled and Emma Hayes is on co-comms. This is going to be good.
Luke McLaughlin emails from the desk to draw my attention to the lovely lyricism of Paulo Sousa. “Pressure is part of football, he said. “We have to turn pressure into fun and fear into courage. Then it can work.”
The ability of footballers to withstand pressure is absolutely mind-boggling – something I wrote about last week, with regard to Bruno Fernandes.
Updated
It is just me who calls Poland “Po-land”?
One of my favourite Euro – or Euros – goals.
Mary Waltz emails on the same subject. “I completely understand why Sweden adopt their defensive style of play. Considering the talent pool they have to draw from it is the most logical decision to make, and they consistently perform well in international tournaments. But as a viewer I look forward to their matches in the same way that I look forward to going to the dentist: at best nothing happens and pain is always a possibility.”
I think this is going to be a good one, and as I said below, I really enjoyed the Spain game. But with Isak and Kulusevski ready and Anthony Elanga coming through, they may have to change their method over the next bit.
“Many Swedes have a problem with how Sweden are playing,” says Cornelis Kunkele. “That is why we sitting in our garden instead of looking at the TV.”
I’m surprised to hear that, but then I happily watch terrible games between teams I don’t support.
On ITV, they’re talking about England. I know! But they are! I swear! Gary Neville reckons if England play Germany, they should go three at the back – I’m not sure I get that because my general rule is that when playing a better team, or a team who know a system better, if you match them up you usually lose. Ashley Cole, meanwhile, thinks England need to be brave and I agree with that. They might win a game playing defensively, but I can’t see them winning four like that; the better teams will expect to score against them while fearing their attackers. It makes more sense to try and keep the ball, and keep it down the other end, than to invite pressure on a defence that is decent but nothing special.
Dalian Atkinson. What an absolute tragedy.
I don’t think there are many playground veterans aged 40-50 who haven’t paid homage to this celebration.
Updated
I should also say that the final of the World Test Championship is fizzing to a close. Check that out here:
“Any explanation for why Lindelof has looked suspiciously secure so far?” asks Christpher Dale. “Is it his sitting deeper in a more reactive team, and so being exposed to fewer dangerous situations without support? Or the absence of McFred?”
The first thing to say is that Lindelof might not be a brilliant player but he’s without doubt a good one and over a long period has done really well against far better players than, say ... Morata. Also, his main problem is that he’s not a great athlete, so can be outrun and outmuscled, but that’s less likely to happen in a less physical contest than you get in the Premeer League – especially, as you say, playing in a team who sit deep.
Tangentially, what a day of football this is. Let’s be real, there’s something not quite right about how few teams we’re actually losing, but there’s still plenty riding on the games because no team can afford to be passive even if all but two of the eight will probably go through.
Updated
“Count me as one of those who is looking forward to this game,” emails Matt Burtz, “mainly because I may or may not have wagered on Sweden to win the group prior to the tournament and would love to see them park the bus on the way to another 1-0 win via a penalty. It may not be pretty (okay, it’s definitely not pretty), but it’s worked thus far, and defensive solidity is nothing to shake a stick at. And as to the other game, it’s not as though Spain are scoring bucketfuls of goals themselves.”
I agree. I guess Spain are trying to play more expansively than Sweden, but teams can play however they like – they’re answerable only to their fans, and I doubt many Swedes have a problem with their style.
“Just a link to the goal that I (10 years old at the time) will always think of when Sweden are about to play Poland,” says Jesper Haglund.
Ah man, that takes me back. Great stuff.
Sweden also make one change, Robin Quaison replacing Marcus Berg in attack – Poland will have to think about the height of their line given the pace waiting to run beyond it. That’s a positive, enterprising change, though I was also hoping to enjoy some Dejan Kulusevski. Ultimately, though, Anderssen likes wide workers more than he likes wingers and he wants to top the group, so here we are.
Looking at those, I fancy Poland I must say. They make one change from the Spain game, Krychowiak returning from injury to replace Moder, and I’m really looking forward to seeing Zielinski, who will relish the opportunity to impose himself.
Teams!
Sweden (a flat-pack 4-4-2): Olsen; Lustig, Lindelof, Danielson, Augistinsson, Larsson, Ekdal, Olsson, Forsberg; Quaison, Isak. Subs: Johnsson, Nordfeldt, Bengtsson, Berg, Svensson, Helander, Sema, Krafth, Claesson, Jansson, Kulusevski, Cajuste.
Poland (an unusual 3-2-4-1): Szczesny; Bereszynski, Glik, Bednarek; Krychowiak, Klich; Jozwiak, Swiderski, Zielinski, Puchacz; Lewandowski. Subs: Skorupski, Fabianski, Dawidowicz, Kedziora, Kozlowski, Linetty, Rybus, Placheta, Frankowski, Kownacki, Swierczak, Helik.
Email! “Now here’s an encounter I’m really not looking forward to,” writes Anis Aslaam. “Apart from England, Sweden have been one of those teams that have been painful to watch in this Euros: two banks of four with Alexander Isak the only goalscoring outlet. This team was built as a homage to Roy Hodgson-style football. Since Paulo Sousa’s football is anti-Hodgson, I’m hoping Poland open the floodgates first to provoke a Swedish reaction. However, I highly doubt that they’ll react considering they’ve qualified for the last 16. Despite that, if I was in Janne Anderson’s shoes, I’d try to get a result to meet the Czechs and not England or Belgium next.”
I actually really enjoyed Sweden’s performance against Spain – tournaments are a lot about those kinds of games – and I’ve really enjoyed Isak too. So let’s find out if he’s playing today...
Updated
Which of course brings us onto Stefan Effenberg, one of the most magnificent blighters this competition has ever seen. Just look at him!
I mentioned Don Hristo Stoichkov earlier on. Well, he was involved in one of my all-time favourite goals and perhaps the most iconic international goal of the 90s – but please feel free to let me know which one I’ve forgotten.
I’m sad to report it’s been a miserable day in off-pitch activity.
— UEFA (@UEFA) June 23, 2021
So apparently: it’s political to request that the ground use rainbow colouring, not political to refuse the request – perhaps to appease a political leader – and when Uefa use rainbow colouring, it’s not political. Makes perfect sense.
Updated
Who needs what:
Sweden are through and will top the group with a win, or if they draw and Slovakia do not beat Spain, or if Spain beat Slovakia by only one goal and score fewer goals than they do in the process.
Slovakia need a point to be certain of going through and will top the group if they win and Sweden do not.
Spain will go through if they beat Slovakia. They will also go through if they draw and Poland do not beat Sweden.
Poland must win.
Naturally, we’ve also got coverage of Slovakia v Spain.
One point from two games doesn’t say great things about Poland, but they were much improved from Slovakia to Spain and seem to fancy themselves to sort this.
Updated
Preamble
George Best, Ryan Giggs, Barry Ferguson – the footballing world is replete with epochal legends whose achievements on the international stage were compromised by the quality of their countrymen. Unlike those three, though, Robert Lewandowski’s have been good enough to help him reach a succession of major competitions; the problem has been what happens to them – and him – when they get there.
For almost a decade now, world football’s best and purest centre-forward has struggled to impose himself on defences inferior to those he victimises on a bi-weekly basis. His international record of 67 goals in 121 games is still pretty good, but racking numbers in qualifiers is the absolute height of whatever.
It’s easy to defend Lewandowski because we know that the tournament football sample-size is too small to prove anything. But it’s also easy to criticise Lewandowski because we know the tournament football sample-size that’s too small to prove anything, proves that Gareth Bale, Hristo Stoichkov and Brian Laudrup are absolute dons.
Either way – and just like Troy Harvey and Irene Raymond – Lewandowski’s time is now: to stay in the competition, Poland must beat Sweden, and the onus is on him to make it happen. Well, easier said than done. Though Janne Andersson might be tempted to rest players, we know that whichever side he sends out will be solid, physical and drilled.
But the circumstances means he’ll probably stick with his first XI. If Sweden win tonight, they secure top spot in the group and meet Czech Republic next; if they draw and there’s a positive result in the Slovakia v Spain game, they finish second and meet Croatia next; and if they lose to end up third, they meet Belgium next.
All of which is to say that there’s a lot going on here. Oooh yeah!
Kick-off: 7pm local, 5pm BST
