Following Finland’s 4-0 defeat to Group G leaders the Netherlands earlier today, Poland now knew that a win on Lithuanian soil meant they would need only one point from their remaining two World Cup Qualifiers (WCQ) in mid-November to guarantee at least a place in the playoff round.
Remarkably, Szymanski got the visitors on their way to those three points after a quarter of an hour as he wheeled off in celebration after scoring directly from a corner that left Lithuania goalkeeper Tomas Svedkauskas visibly annoyed.
In terms of the hosts’ hopes of getting back on level before half-time, Gratas Sirgedas’ 27th-minute effort, which was well-saved by Lukasz Skorupski, turned out to be their only effort on target throughout the first half.
It was actually Poland who came close to hitting the back of the net once again in injury time, as Matty Cash’s shot from inside the area stung Svedkauskas’ palms.
Poland’s one-way traffic towards reaching their second goal of the night nearly arrived 10 minutes after the restart. First, Jakub Kiwior’s fierce strike was redirected over the crossbar by Svedkauskas’ fingertips before Lithuania’s number one kept out Jakub Kaminski’s effort with a smart one-handed save.
That goal eventually came in the 64th minute as Szymanski’s brilliant ball into the box allowed Robert Lewandowski to authoritatively brush aside his marker and powerfully head home an 87th international goal.
With the game’s outcome already decided, Svedkauskas denied Cash again, as the Aston Villa wing-back saw his effort from the tightest of angles fail to creep in at the near post.
An overdue away win registers Poland’s first celebrations for their travelling 5,000 supporters in five matches across all competitions – ahead of a month-long hiatus – until the return of WCQ, when the Eagles return home to nest for a mouthwatering and potentially Group G top-spot decider, against the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, Lithuania’s winless record now stands at 15 matches (D3, L12) – across both competitive and non-competitive action – stretching back to June 2024.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Sebastian Szymanski (Poland)