World Cup

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World Cup | Qualifiers

Oct 17, 2012 at 4pm UK

Poland
1-1
England

Live Commentary: Poland vs. England

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 16 October 2012

Sports Mole brings you live coverage of tonight's World Cup qualification Group H clash between Poland and England in Warsaw.

Good evening and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage of tonight's World Cup qualification Group H clash between Poland and England in Warsaw.

Roy Hodgson's men currently sit top of Group H with seven points from their first three matches, while Poland are third with four points from two games.

Poland have not beaten tonight's opponents since 1973 when Sir Alf Ramsey was in charge of the Three Lions and England have lost just once in their history against the Poles.

The home side failed to make it out of their group at Euro 2012, leading to Waldemar Fornalik taking charge of the national side.

Meanwhile, he has been given the task of gaining the Poles qualification for a major tournament for the first time since 1986.

Please note that kickoff is at 8pm.

9.02pmRight, so there we have it. The match will be played tomorrow afternoon at 4pm. Thanks for joining Sports Mole for the action (I say that loosely) and join us again tomorrow from 3pm. See you then!

8.59pmMatch will be played tomorrow at 4pm.

8.56pmSo there we have it. Official confirmation that the match has been called off. Although it is not yet clear when it will be played.

8.56pmGAME HAS BEEN CALLED OFF.

8.52pmIt is understood that the match will not go ahead tonight. But the two federations are in discussions as to when it will be played. I have never seen anything like this before.

8.48pmITV are reporting that FIFA want the match to be played tomorrow. But the two clubs cannot agree. November has been stated, but England cannot play then.

8.44pmThe referee is back on the pitch throwing around the ball. Oh my word? Is this serious?!

8.40pmWe will find out in around five minutes time - well we hope to anyway. Maybe we will have to wait another hour before they call it off. Just crazy.

8.36pmThe rain is still coming down in Warsaw. Meanwhile, there are spectators on the pitch diving in the water. You have to laugh! I would be doing it if I were there.

8.32pmJust a reminder that no-one has been on the pitch yet. The roof is still open. England want to leave, Poland want to play. England want to play tomorrow. Poland do not.

8.28pmLatest: England players are in their tracksuits and waiting to leave. The Polish players are ready to play. What is happening?!

8.24pmSome Polish supporters are leaving the stadium. Have they made their mind up already? Oh to be a fly on the wall inside that decision room with FIFA. We are around 20 minutes way from yet more confirmation.

8.20pmAdrian Bevington from the Football Association has stated that we are waiting until 9.45pm for next inspection. What is the referee expecting to happen? I just do not understand. This shows the power of FIFA.

8.16pmSo, as it stands we are waiting another 30 minutes for confirmation. The roof is not being closed, the rain is still falling. What is there to be said about that?

8.12pmI would love to bring you another update, but it remains the same at the moment. The roof is not being closed. What are they expecting to happen?! Strange.

8.08pmBREAKING: Fifa have told BBC Sport that in "the next 45-60 mins all efforts will be made to get the game on tonight. But if not possible, the plan would be to play tomorrow." How can it possibly go ahead?

8.06pmWhat about the supporters? Not just for England, but for Poland as well. This should not have been allowed to happen.

8.03pmThe official announcement is expected in the next few moments. The referee and both managers have entered a small room.

8pmThe referee is just throwing the ball around the pitch at the moment. Strange scenes! There is no way this match is going ahead.

7.59pmA member of the Polish media team has explained that heaters will be able to clear the rain in 30 minutes. Wow. That is some system! It is getting worse all the time.

7.56pmWe are around five minutes from an official announcement. I just do not see how this match can possibly go ahead. Why are we waiting until 8pm?!

7.53pmI think I have just seen Roy Hodgson practicing breast stroke on the pitch. He is in the deep end at the moment. Some scenes here in Warsaw. Anyone for a game of water polo?

7.50pmMeanwhile, England have lost just one of their last five games - a Euro 2012 penalty defeat to Italy, but they did overcome the finalists in a friendly in September. Meanwhile, the recent win against San Marino followed victory over Moldova and a draw against Ukraine.

7.47pmLet's get back to some recent statistics. Poland have lost two of their last five games. They were beaten by Czech Republic in Euro 2012, while they also suffered defeat to Estonia in a friendly in March. However, a draw with Montenegro was followed by wins over Moldova and South Africa.

7.44pmJust a reminder that an official decision on whether the match will go ahead is expected in the next 15 minutes. It must be said that it is likely that it will be postponed. Stay with us for the latest updates.

7.41pmPoland: Tyton; Wasilewski, Gilk, Krychowiak, Piszczek; Obraniak, Wszolek, Grosicki, Wawrzyniak; Lewandowski, Polanski

7.39pmBREAKING: Lewandowski starts for Poland - if indeed the match goes ahead.

7.36pm

7.36pmBREAKING: An official decision will be made by 8pm. As it stands, it is looking unlikely that the match will go ahead.

7.33pmITV are reporting that the match is in danger of not going ahead. The stadium in Warsaw has a roof, but it has not been closed. Wow. We are awaiting news.

7.30pmAccording to various reports on Twitter, the match is in danger of being called off due to the state of the pitch. This is unconfirmed. We will keep you updated.

7.27pmThere is no Rio Ferdinand or John Terry in the international picture anymore, while Frank Lampard could also find his chances limited. Steven Gerrard will undoubtedly remain a senior figure for his country, but there is no question that the national team is in transition.

7.24pmFollowing England's victory over San Marino on Friday, there have been suggestions of a new era in English football. Kyle Walker, Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck were among those that impressed. Meanwhile, with the likes of Jack Wilshere, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones set to return in the New Year - there is a feeling that England could finally make a noise in an international tournament.

7.21pmUpdate: The pitch in Warsaw is not in good condition this evening. There is a vast amount of surface water and Hodgson looks concerned.

7.18pmLukasz Piszczek is also on the books of Dortmund and will be given the task of shackling the wide threat from England. However, there have been suggestions of unrest in the camp with French-born Ludovic Obraniak reportedly unpopular with his teammates. Whether or not that will affect their performance remains to be seen.

7.15pmPoland's chances this evening will undoubtedly fall on the shoulders of Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski. The 24-year-old is regarded as one of the best strikers in European football and scored 30 goals for Dortmund last season. Meanwhile, he has 15 goals in 47 games for his country.

7.12pmThe Three Lions have not lost a qualifying match since losing to Ukraine in October 2009 and Hodgson is yet to taste defeat in his 10 matches as boss of the nation. Isn't this all sounding very nice? Let's ignore our recent record in major tournaments!

7.09pmJust a reminder that we are still awaiting the Poland team news for tonight. Meanwhile, here's a word from Stoke City and England striker Michael Owen on Twitter: "England to win. I will go for 3-1. I see goals everywhere I look in our team."

7.06pmBREAKING: It is understood that Tottenham Hotspur defender Danny Rose suffered racist chants towards the end of England's Under-21 clash with Serbia. The on-loan Sunderland man was sent off in the final minutes.

7.03pmMeanwhile, looking ahead to tonight's match once more. Despite England's fine run against their opponents, four of the last six clashes between the two sides in Poland have ended in a draw. Meanwhile, excluding Euro 2012, Poland have won their last five home matches and have kept seven consecutive clean sheets. Not bad hey?!

7pmResult: Serbia Under-21s 0-1 England Under-21s. The result means that England qualify 2-0 on aggregate for next summer's Euro 2013 tournament in Israel.

6.57pmTaking a look at the rest of the home nations for a moment: Wales travel to Croatia this evening, while the Republic of Ireland travel to the Faroe Islands. Scotland are also in action against Belgium and Northern Ireland face Cristiano Ronaldo & Co in Portugal. Some fascinating ties there!

6.54pmMeanwhile, here's a word from Manchester United and (former?!) England defender Rio Ferdinand on Twitter: "What score are you thinking tonight people? I'm going for England to win 0-2 in Poland!" Rio is certainly optimistic.

6.51pmSo there we have it. Glen Johnson, Joleon Lescott, Ashley Cole, Steven Gerrard, James Milner and Jermain Defoe come into the side this evening. Danny Welbeck must make do with a place on the bench. The Poland team news is expected shortly.

6.48pmPoland: To follow

England: Hart; Johnson, Jagielka, Lescott, Cole; Milner, Carrick, Gerrard, Cleverley, Rooney; Defoe

6.48pmBREAKING TEAM NEWS: Jermain Defoe and Ashley Cole do indeed start for England. Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney and Tom Cleverley remain in the side. Full team to follow.

6.45pmWe are expecting the confirmed team news in around the next 10 minutes or so. However, Poland will definitely be without Arsenal goalkeeping pair Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski. Meanwhile, Eugen Polanski is also a major doubt.

6.42pmAs mentioned above, England have lost just once to Poland in their history and are unbeaten in 39 years. And with seven points from their first three games, victory this evening would put them in control of the group.

6.39pmHowever, the home side have been weakened by the news that skipper Jakub Blaszczydowski will miss the match with an ankle injury. Meanwhile, just eight of their squad currently play their football in Poland - compared to every member of the England squad playing in the Premier League.

6.36pmPoland currently sit 49 places below England (fifth) in the FIFA Rankings, but they are unbeaten in the qualification process thus far. They opened their campaign with a 2-2 draw at Montenegro before beating Moldova 2-0 at home.

6.33pmReported team news: It is understood that Jermain Defoe will return to the England team this evening. Meanwhile, Ashley Cole has also reportedly been handed a start. This is unconfirmed and we will bring you the full team news when it becomes available.

6.30pmGood evening all! If England's 5-0 win over San Marino on Friday was a bit of comedy match, tonight is anything but. Make no mistake about it, this is a proper football game this evening and one that both sides will feel they have a chance to win.