Poland’s main player and captain, striker Robert Lewandowski, did not even kick Damian Martínez’s goal in the entire duel this Wednesday (30), won by Argentina by 2-0, at the 974 stadium, in Doha. Even with the final result of the game, he says he is happy for the place he won in the round of 16 of the World Cup in Qatar.
This feat occurred for the last time 36 years ago, in the 1986 Mexico Cup, when it finished third in Group F and was eliminated by Brazil in the round of 16, 4-0.
“Today I was the team’s first defender. You know that if you play for the national team you can’t expect to create so many goal situations, but you have to work as a team. And against Argentina, who started the World Cup losing, now moves on to the next phase and is a candidate for the title”, said the striker in the mixed zone after the duel.
Regarding Poland’s lack of offensive creation, the number 9 stated that it was programmed. “We were very focused on defense and didn’t want to risk attacking. So much so that we reached our objective, which is qualifying for the next phase. It was a sad dispute for us, but, even with the defeat, we can be happy now”, says the player, who emphasized the importance of classification.
“It was all about qualifying and we got it. It doesn’t matter if it’s on goal difference, cards or whatever. It wasn’t a great game for us but we’ll soon forget about it. it affected a lot. We have a lot to improve before the meeting with the French.”
Regarding the knockout duel, Lewandowski hopes that his team will have a more inspired day against France, at 12:00 (Brasília time) on Sunday (4).
“France is an even more difficult opponent than Argentina, due to the players they have, but we have to try to do our best, to fight. France is the current champion, but I hope we are playing better than we played today”, he concluded. The captain.
Another player who celebrated a lot after the confrontation was goalkeeper Szczesny, who was able to show off when he saved Lionel Messi’s penalty kick.
“I told the referee right after the intervention with Messi that I had touched his face with my hand, but that in my opinion there should not have been a penalty. The referee decided otherwise. And well, I was able to show off”, he joked.
The Juventus (ITA) goalkeeper claims to have studied the Argentine national team’s penalty kicks a lot, which made his work easier.
“We analyzed the penalties taken by the Argentines, including Messi. I knew he was shooting hard or looking at the goalkeeper and waiting to see what he would do. In the match he chose the first option and I felt that he would shoot to my left side. “
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