Poland vs Saudi Arabia Live Commentary, FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar

#	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Group A
1	Netherlands	3	2	1	0	5	1	4	7
2	Senegal	3	2	0	1	5	4	1	6
3	Ecuador	3	1	1	1	4	3	1	4
4	Qatar	3	0	0	3	1	7	-6	0
Group B
1	England	3	2	1	0	9	2	7	7
2	USA	3	1	2	0	2	1	1	5
3	Iran	3	1	0	2	4	7	-3	3
4	Wales	3	0	1	2	1	6	-5	1
Group C
1	Argentina	3	2	0	1	5	2	3	6
2	Poland	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	4
3	Mexico	3	1	1	1	2	3	-1	4
4	Saudi Arabia	3	1	0	2	3	5	-2	3
Group D
1	France	3	2	0	1	6	3	3	6
2	Australia	3	2	0	1	3	4	-1	6
3	Tunisia	3	1	1	1	1	1	0	4
4	Denmark	3	0	1	2	1	3	-2	1
Group E
1	Japan	3	2	0	1	4	3	1	6
2	Spain	3	1	1	1	9	3	6	4
3	Germany	3	1	1	1	6	5	1	4
4	Costa Rica	3	1	0	2	3	11	-8	3
Group F
1	Morocco	3	2	1	0	4	1	3	7
2	Croatia	3	1	2	0	4	1	3	5
3	Belgium	3	1	1	1	1	2	-1	4
4	Canada	3	0	0	3	2	7	-5	0
Group G
1	Brazil	3	2	0	1	3	1	2	6
2	Switzerland	3	2	0	1	4	3	1	6
3	Cameroon	3	1	1	1	4	4	0	4
4	Serbia	3	0	1	2	5	8	-3	1
Group H
1	Portugal	3	2	0	1	6	4	2	6
2	Korea Republic	3	1	1	1	4	4	0	4
3	Uruguay	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	4
4	Ghana	3	1	0	2	5	7	-2	3

Matches Played

Matches Won

Matches Drawn

Matches Lost

Goals For (Goals scored by a team)

Goals Against (Goals conceded by a team)

Goal Difference

Pts

Total Points

Robert Lewandowski’s game by numbers vs. Saudi Arabia:

52 touches
6 ground duels won
4/6 dribbles completed
3 aerial duels won
2 shots on target
1 key pass
1 big chance created
1 goal
1 assist

The complete performance. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/qafO4hOW5z
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) November 26, 2022

That will be all for now as we bring curtains to this live card commentary. Thank you for joining us as we continue to bring you all the live action from the 2022 FIFA World Cup. We will be back shortly for the match between France and Denmark. Till then, take care and good bye!

Here's how Group C looks after that result 👇

Poland move top of the group 🔝
Saudi Arabia are second 2️⃣#ARG v #MEX is later tonight... 👀 #BBCWorldCup #BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/vX03S4n14p
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) November 26, 2022

Poland earn massive three points today and along with it comes the happiness of Lewandowski's first-ever World Cup goal. This should inspire the Polish players to go all guns blazing against Argentina next. Saudi Arabia cannot be too disheartened with this performance as they just lacked a bit of clinical edge in front of the goal. Nevertheless, it is going to be an entertaining third round in Group C from a neutral point of view.

Wojciech Szczęsny has made more saves than any other player at the 2022 World Cup and is the first goalkeeper to keep two clean sheets.

He's even saved a penalty. 🚬@midnite | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/pkLMKXsgw5
— Squawka (@Squawka) November 26, 2022

Poland top the Group C table with four points before their all-important clash against Argentina. As for Saudi Arabia, they are still very much in the race to qualify but it all depends on how the result fairs in the match later tonight when Argentina face Mexico.

With the start Saudi Arabia had in the first half, no one expected Poland to end up with three points today. Despite creating plenty of chances, the Asian team failed to convert as they were made to pay later on. Zielinski's goal in the first half and Lewandowski's goal in the second half sealed the game.

90+7' FULL TIME !!! Poland secure three points today in what has been a dramatic game.

90+6' Kanno takes a shot but it's well wide off Szczesny's goal.

90+5' Al-Abed is subbed off. Hattan Bahebri comes on.

Additional time: 7 minutes

90' Lewandowski is blessed with a great chance but credit to Al-Owais who produces a fine save to deny the Polish captain his second goal of the game.

Robert Lewandowski's 635th goal of his career for club and country is his first in the World Cup.
— Richard Jolly 🇺🇦 (@RichJolly) November 26, 2022

85' Al-Shehri is subbed off. Nasser Al-Dawsari comes on.

85' Al Malki is subbed off. Abdulrahman Alobud comes on.

Robert Lewandowski equals Pele's record of 77 international goals 👏 pic.twitter.com/RKGJ9Ps1Ye
— GOAL (@goal) November 26, 2022

82' Lewandowski takes advantage of an error at the back from Al Malki, leaving him one on one with Al Owais. The Barcelona forward provides a composed finish to secure the win for Poland.

82' GOOOAALL ! Guess who??? It's Robert Lewandowski who scores his first World Cup goal ever as he doubles Poland's lead.

80' Al-Ghannam provides a lovely cross from the right but it is too quick for any of his teammates to pounce on.

78' CHANNCEEE!! Al Malki gets his shot from 16 yards out, unfortunately, it's just wide off the post. Saudi Arabia knocking for an equalizer.

75' Al-Owais does well to come off his line and clear the ball to restrict Lewandowski from having the ball in an excellent position.

71' Arkadiusz Milik is subbed off. Krzysztof Piatek comes on.

63' Milik hits the crossbar
66' Lewandowski hits the post

A real end-to-end game. 🤩
— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) November 26, 2022

68' The free-kick hits the wall as it ends in nothing fruitful

67' Bielik concedes a free kick to Saudi Arabia just 25 yards from outside the box. Can the Asian team capitalize??

65' OFF THE POST !! Saudi Arabia once again survive as Lewandowski's smart touch hits the right post. Al-Owais did well to get something on it to restrict Poland from scoring again.

65' Al-Burayk is subbed off. Sultan Al-Ghannam comes on.

Saudi Arabia have had more shots on target (4) than Poland have had shots (3).

They're outplaying the Polish. 😮‍💨
— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) November 26, 2022

63' OFF THE BAR!!! Milik hits the bar from a sweet header after he receives a delight cross from the left. Unlucky!!

63' Piotr Zielinski is subbed off. Jakub Kaminski comes on.

The five yellow cards shown in the first half of #POLKSA was the most in the opening half of a #FIFAWorldCup match since the 2010 final (Spain v Netherlands).

[@OptaJoe] pic.twitter.com/WalNoWyeSk
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) November 26, 2022

61' Poland cannot afford to sit deep and allow Saudi Arabia to dominate the proceedings. Sooner or later the European team will be made to pay if it continues in this fashion.

60' CHANCE!!! Feras find space in the Polish box but ends up taking a wild shot with his left shoot that sails wide.

58' It is delightful to see how vocal the Saudi Arabian supporters have constantly been in this game. Totally backing their team to find the back of the goal despite trailing.

56' The Poland goalkeeper has turned up big time today.

55' Chaos in the Polish box as Al-Dawsari scrambles to get a shot but Szczesny once again to his country's rescue.

53' Big half for Poland in their aspirations to reach the final 16. All about nerves now.

51' Another Saudi Arabian corner in the second half. They are piling up the pressure in their bid to get the equalizer.

14 - Prior to today's game against Saudi Arabia, Poland have won all 14 of the World Cup games in which they have opened the scoring. Confident. #POLKSA pic.twitter.com/R4zG5t9hDW
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) November 26, 2022

46'Sami Al-Najei is subbed off. Nawaf Al-Abid comes on.

46' The second half begins with one change from Saudi Arabia.

Poland 🤝 Saving World Cup penalties.#BBCWorldCup #BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/HjA15L02xZ
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) November 26, 2022

Given the aggression and intensity with how Saudi Arabia have played, Poland are far from assured of winning this match. The Asian team would have felt hard done but there is very little time to feel sorry. Pretty interesting to see the footage of Herve Renard giving his half-time talk in this match and more importantly how the Saudi Arabian players react in the second half.

The first half was no short of drama as Poland have an unexpected lead to their name. Saudi Arabia dominated and created for the most part of the first 45 minutes but it was Zielinski's goal on the counter that made the difference. Saudi Arabia were awarded a penalty to slash back Poland's lead but Szczesny made a fine save to deny Dawsari.

45+10' HALF-TIME!! An eventful half comes to an end with Poland leading 1-0.

45+8' Poland keeping their calm now as they look to finish the half with the lead.

45+4' Al-Amri is cautioned for a poor tackle on Lewandowski.

What. A. Double. Save. Magnificent from Sczczesny, first from Al Dawsari's penalty, then denying Al Burayk from the rebound. This game...
— Darren Lewis (@MirrorDarren) November 26, 2022

45+2' Szczesny sticks out his right hand to stop Al-Dawsari's low shot and then the rebound. Poor penalty there but excellent goalkeeping from the former Arsenal man to help Poland preserve their lead.

45+1' MISSSSSS!!! Al-Dawsari misses the penalty.

Additional time: 10 minutes

45' PENALLLTYYY!! Saudi Arabia have been awarded the penalty as the referee overturns his decision. Bielik the guilty party here. Big chance for Saudi Arabia here as Al-Dawsari prepares to take it.

44' VAR have been involved as Bielik seems to have fouled Al-Shehri in the box. The referee is called to the screen to reconfirm his decision.

Piotr Zieliński's first shot of the 2022 World Cup is a right-footed goal... ⏳ https://t.co/wSyUsZxxWO
— Squawka (@Squawka) November 26, 2022

41' Another chance goes begging for Poland as Lewandowski finds space on the right and provides a deadly low cross in the box. Unfortunately, no Polish player is close enough to capitalize.

41' It all starts with Matty Cash's cross from the right. Lewandowski being unselfish controls the ball well and waits to find Zielinski who wastes no time in smashing it home.

40' GOOOOAAALLL!!! Against the run of play, Zielinski scores inside the box as Lewandowski provides the assist.

36' The combination of Milik and Lewandowski are yet to click and it is more to do with Milik playing wide. Wonder if it would make a difference if he was brought inside more alongside Lewandowksi.

35' Al-Boleahi seems to have hurt his shoulder after going one on one with Lewandowski in the Saudi Arabian box. Play is halted as he receives treatment.

33' Al-Shehri misses a chance to head the ball from Al-Najei's cross. Half a chance but could have been capitalized on.

There were more yellow cards (4) than shots (3) in the opening 30 minutes of Poland vs. Saudi Arabia. ⚠️#POLKSA | #FIFAWorldCup
— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) November 26, 2022

27' Herve Renard's assistant is cautioned on the sidelines.

26' Bielik's header is cleared by Al-Shehri in his own box. The striker doing the defending at the other end.

25' Al Malki was cautioned earlier at the 20th minute.

24' All Saudi Arabia so far. Not letting Poland settle one bit.

23' We have hardly seen Lewandowski get involved so far, pretty much similar to how it was against Mexico.

Poland v Saudi Arabia. One of the best stadium atmospheres of the World Cup so far. The Saudi players more than up for proving their Argentina win was no flash in the pan.
— Darren Lewis (@MirrorDarren) November 26, 2022

20' At this pace it won't come as a surprise if one of the Polish players is sent off today.

19' That's the third yellow of the game and this time it goes to Milik. Poland has three players cautioned in the first 20 minutes. Nerves!!

18' Really good energy from Saudi Arabia so far, testing Poland's intensity and patience already.

16' Another yellow to a Poland player, this time it's Matty Cash. That's a rash tackle from the Aston Villa fullback on Al-Dawsari.

15' Al-Shehri is shown a yellow early in the game for a late challenge on Al-Shehri.

Saudi Arabia's players hold up a shirt for Yasser Al-Shahrani following emergency surgery for facial injuries.#TelegraphFootball #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/VL3fFYwsou
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) November 26, 2022

13' SAVEEE!!! Szczesny makes a good save from Kanno's strong curling shot from the right side of the box. Corner for Saud Arabia.

12' Too many fouls committed so far from both sides. Good intensity already to the game.

10' Although Saudi Arabia have had more possession, Poland have been impressive going forward.

8' Al Burayk takes a shot from the outside of the box but it is deflected to help Saudi Arabia win their first corner of the game.

7' Positive start to the game as both teams are trying to be as direct as possible.

2' Terrific support for Saudi Arabia today. The players have the utmost backing of the fans.

1' Poland kick-off the first half as they seek to register their first win of the 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign.

😖 Saudi Arabia have lost nine of their 10 #FIFAWorldCup matches against European opposition, with the exception a 1-0 win over Belgium in 1994#Qatar2022
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) November 26, 2022

Both teams head out as we are just minutes away from the kick off.

Robert Lewandowski has attempted 11 shots in his World Cup career:

◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎◎

He's still looking for his first goal. 😫@midnite | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/qAJ2RRej6N
— Squawka (@Squawka) November 26, 2022

With Lewandowski and Milik both present upfront, Poland will hope to provide them with plenty of balls in the box to attack. Saudi Arabia will have their work cut out in handling both these poachers, making it an interesting affair already.

Saudi Arabia manager Herve Renard will be cherishing this opportunity when Poland are under pressure. With his pep talk, the Frenchman is quite capable of motivating his players to register a win and be on the front foot from the word go.

Hervé Renard during his half-time team talk against Argentina 😤 pic.twitter.com/nhm27iyTyq
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 25, 2022

In case Saudi Arabia managed to qualify to secure a place in the last 16, it will be just the second time in their history that they will be achieving this feat. There is very little doubt that the players will be giving their everything to accomplish it.

Substitutes available for Saudi Arabia: Mohammed Al Yami, Nawaf Alaqidi, Hassan Al Tambakti, Abdullah Madu, Sultan Al-Ghannam, Nasser Al-Dawsari, Nawaf Al-Abed, Abdullah Otayf, Hattan Bahebri, Abdulrahman Alobud, Ali Al-Hassan and Haitham Mohammed Asiri.

Substitutes available for Poland: Łukasz Skorupski, Kamil Grabara, Jan Bednarek, Artur Jędrzejczyk, Robert Gumny, Mateusz Wieteska, Nicola Zalewski, Sebastian Szymański, Kamil Grosicki, Damian Szymański, Michał Skóraś, Szymon Żurkowski, Jakub Kamiński, Karol Świderski and Krzysztof Piątek

Saudi Arabia (4-1-4-1): Mohammed Al-Owais, Saud Abdulhamid, Abdulelah Al-Amri, Ali Al-Boleahi, Mohammed Al-Burayk, Abdulelah Al Malki, Firas Al-Buraikan, Sami Al-Najei, Mohamed Kanno, Salem Al-Dawsari (C), Saleh Al-Shehri.

Poland (3-4-1-2): Wojciech Szczesny, Bartosz Bereszynski, Kamil Glik, Jakub Kiwior, Matty Cash, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Krystian Bielik, Przemyslaw Frankowski, Piotr Zielinski, Arkadiusz Milik, Robert Lewandowski (C)

The line-ups are out. Let's have a look how both the teams are set up.

Saudi Arabia will hardly opt to change their game plan against Poland and it is interesting to see how the Polish players handle the high-intensity play from the Asian country. Any sort of defensive approach from Poland could turn out to be risky in this fixture.

This is a huge game for Robert Lewandowski as Polish fans around the world would be counting on him to make a difference. The Barcelona striker will look to make amends after his penalty miss against Mexico in their campaign-opener.

How have Poland and Saudi Arabia fared against each other before? Find out here:

Poland vs Saudi Arabia Head-to-Head stats and numbers you need to know before Match 22 of FIFA World Cup 2022

Poland definitely has a side capable of causing Saudi Arabia problems. Robert Lewandowski, of course, is the star man and he will be looking to get on the scoresheet today.

Unfancied Saudi Arabia could become the first team to book their place in the Round-of-16 of this World Cup if they manage to get all 3 points today. Their high defensive live, Offensive pressing and aggressive play won them a lot of plaudits against Argentina. They will be looking for more of the same tonight

Hello and welcome to the coverage of the Group C match between Poland and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia shocked the world when they won against mighty Argentina with a thrilling second-half display. Poland, on the other hand, will be disappointed to not get all 3 points against Mexico after captain Robert Lewandowski had his penalty saved by Ochoa. Who will come out on top today? Team news and playing XIs are just a few minutes away

Date & Time

26 November, Sat 06:30 PM IST

Tournament

FIFA World Cup

Stadium

Education City Stadium

Head To Head Summary

Match Details

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Highlights

Match Highlights - Poland 2:0 Saudi Arabia

Key Stats

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Ball Possession

Offense

Defense

Distribution

Discipline

Others