In the Group D match between Poland and Austria, the result was not in favour of Poland as they succumbed to a 1-3 defeat. Robert Lewandowski, Poland’s star player, unfortunately failed to create the anticipated impact. Their defeat to Austria was sealed by Marko Arnautovic striking a penalty, caused by Wojciech Szczesny’s fumble on Marcel Sabitzer, spelling possible qualification for the Austrians from Group D if they win against the Netherlands next week. Despite the expectations, Lewandowski entered the field only in the sixtieth minute and his contributions were slight – a mere 11 insignificant contacts.
A peculiar incident took place when the match was 24 minutes in and the display screens around the stadium showed Austria maintaining a 1-0 lead, completely dominating the game. Right after the game restarted, Sabitzer won a throw-in on the left side and Poland seemed taken aback by Austria’s aggressive play.
Lewandowski, from Poland’s expansive bench, was seen communicating with Michal Probierz’s coaching crew. His communication did have some influence as Piotr Zielinski managed to get a shot minutes later, helping Poland to equalise within the first half. However, the ultimate victory evaded them.
In a surprising twistn on the field, the Poland striker, Krzysztof Piatek, helped even out the match against Austria, despite having to watch his team lose to the Netherlands from the bench in a previous game. Piatek had been proving his prowess at the club level, coming fresh off a hat-trick from his recent domestic match. However, in this match, it wasn’t Lewandowski that made the impact, but Piatek himself, as he managed to pick up a loose ball from Jan Bednarek’s thwarted attempt and smoothly delivered it into the Austrian goal, beyond the reach of Patrick Pentz.
The quick turnaround caught Poland’s supporters off guard, who, after an initial slow start, suddenly found their team on par with Austria. The Austrians, too, were stepped down a notch. They had been on a high having seen Lewandowski start on the bench, which potentially triggered their impressive opening, hounding Poland since the starting whistle.
In the field, Austria had succeeded in breaking the line of defense with a smart header from Gernot Trauner, who had filled the shoes of Kevin Danso efficiently, within the first 10 minutes of the game. Riding on the wave of an early advantage, Austria pressed on for a second goal with Marko Arnautovic taking a swing at the ball.
However, stuck at a tie at half time, both teams had to rethink their strategies. Changes were called for, with Brighton’s Jakub Moder taking over from Jakub Piotrowski, and Patrick Wimmer substituting Florian Grillitsch. Wimmer’s entry was soon marked by a cynical challenge on Nicola Zalewski, that got him promptly booked by referee Halil Umut Meler from Turkey.
Austria was on the back foot after conceding a unnecessary free-kick. Poland seized the moment and revealed their ace – Lewandowski, who was seen receiving instructions. The 35-year-old striker wiped off his perspiration with his left forearm before taking the place of Adam Buksa, the scorer in their last match against the Netherlands. The crowd was buzzing with the faint chorus of Lewandowski’s name. In a matter of moments after his entry, a rushed clearance from Stefan Posch for a corner signalled Lewandowski’s presence.
However, the tide swayed in favour of Austria as another substitute, Alexander Prass, made an impact merely three minutes after stepping onto the pitch. Substituting Mwene, he dashed down the left unopposed before deploying a shrewd low diagonal ball which was seemingly intended for the captain, Arnautovic.
But the Polish defence was taken for a ride as Arnautovic, who evidently thrives in playing the jester or villain, let the ball pass between his legs, tearing open an avenue through the Austrian defence. The ball was perfectly poised for Baumgartner who saw his opportunity, chose his spot and curled the ball past Szczesny. A save from Wimmer as Austria turned up the heat was all Szczesny could muster.
Following his score, Baumgartner went straight for Rangnick to share a celebratory bear hug, while a disheartened Lewandowski retreated towards the halfway line.
The final nail in the coffin for Poland was when Arnautovic sealed the victory through a penalty at the 78-minute mark, fooling Szczesny and hitting the right spot. – Guardian