Poland and Russia shared the points in a 1-1 draw this evening in arguably the most entertaining match of Euro 2012 thus far.
Russia entered the encounter knowing that victory would book their spot in the next round. Meanwhile, Poland dared not lose ahead of their final Group A game against Czech Republic.
Both sides impressed, however it was Russia who might have felt that they should have taken all three points.
Here, Sports Mole dissects the 90 minutes between the two Group A rivals.
Poland statistics:
Shots: 15
On target: 9
Possession: 43%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 12
Russia statistics:
Shots: 7
On target: 3
Possession: 57%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 13
Was the result fair?
Just about. In truth, Russia were by far the better footballing side, and but for poor finishing, they might have been out of sight in the opening half. However, Poland displayed wonderful character to claw their way back into the match and were well worth a point following their second-half display.
Poland's performance
Poland are certainly not the best defensively. However, in Jakub Blaszczykowski and Robert Lewandowski they have two real attacking threats. The Poles showed plenty of heart and desire and will feel confident about progressing.
Russia's performance
Impressive. The Russian's really are a dark horse for this tournament. Granted, their performance dropped off in the second period. However, they remained a threat and have such pace and imagination in forward positions.
Sports Mole's man of the match
There were certainly a few candidates, but I am going to give it to Andrey Arshavin. The Russian skipper was a constant menace to the Polish defence, and has been one of the stars of the tournament thusfar.
Referee performance
Just the one real piece of controversy for Wolfgang Stark after he failed to award Russia a penalty after Alan Dzageov had been bundled over in the penalty area. However, aside from that, his performance was cool, calm and collected.
Biggest gaffe of the game
Welcome Yuri Zhirkov. With the ball bouncing in the opposing area just before the Poland equaliser, the former Chelsea defender sliced horribly wide when he perhaps should have scored.
What next?
Poland: It's simple for Poland. If they beat Czech Republic, then they qualify, and they are more than capable of doing just that.
Russia: The point leaves Russia top of the group, and a draw against Greece should be enough to secure their spot in the latter stages.
Matt Law
