Poland聽striker Karol 艢widerski's goal before the break secured a 1:0 win over Albania to earn their first Group E points of the Euro 2024 qualifiers on Monday. Despite a goalless draw in Moldova, the Czech Republic lead the group with four points.
Poland, who suffered a 3:1聽defeat聽by Czech Republic in their opening game on Friday, sealed the victory in the 41st minute through 艢widerski who curled a low shot into the net on the rebound after Jakub Kami艅ski hit the post following a free kick.
Robert Lewandowski, well marked by the Albania defence, had a chance to double the lead in the 63rd when he broke free and fired from close range but his shot was cleared off the line.
The聽Poland聽striker had another opportunity in the 84th but his strike flew narrowly over the bar from distance.
Albania winger Myrto Uzuni sent chills down the spine of the home crowd when he came close to levelling two minutes from time, firing a shot just wide of the left post.
"In our minds there is only qualifying, so this victory today was our task to complete and luckily we did it because we took a step forward," 艢widerski told Polish broadcaster TVP Sport.
"In the first half we played some nice football (and) in the second half there were also nice moments. It's a pity that towards the end it got nervous, but fortunately we won."
In the other Group E match, Czech Republic drew 0-0 away to Moldova to remain top of the standings by a point from聽Poland.
殴r贸d艂o:聽TVN24 News in English, Reuters
殴r贸d艂o zdj臋cia g艂贸wnego:聽Getty Images