European Championship
Poland
Oct 11, 2015 7.45pm
2
1
HT : 2 1
FT
Rep. Ireland
  • Grzegorz Krychowiak 13' goal
  • Robert Lewandowski 42' goal
  • Kamil Glik 74' yellowcard
  • Slawomir Peszko 87' yellowcard
  • goal Jonathan Walters 16'
  • yellowcard John O'Shea 18'
  • yellowcard Glenn Whelan 45'
  • redcard John O'Shea 92'
  • yellowcard Jonathan Walters 95'

Live Commentary: Poland 2-1 Republic of Ireland - as it happened

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Poland 2-1 Republic of Ireland - as it happened
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Poland secured their passage into Euro 2016 and consigned the Republic of Ireland to a spot in the playoffs after beating the Irish 2-1 in Warsaw tonight.

Grzegorz Krychowiak opened the scoring on 13 minutes, before a controversial penalty saw the visitors - who needed a win, a 2-2 draw or higher to progress - get back into the contest through Jon Walters.

Robert Lewandowski headed home shortly before the break, and the Poles doggedly defended their lead, with John O'Shea sent off late on, to seal their passage into France.

Below, relive the action with our live commentary.

9.40pmWell, that's that. Lewandowski's first-half header is enough after Walters cancelled out Krychowiak's opener. Poland qualify automatically, as do Germany, while Ireland must negotiate a two-legged playoff. Another emotional rollercoaster next month. Great. Anywho, that's us. Thanks for joining our live commentary and we'll see you next time.

9.39pmFULL TIME: Poland 2-1 Republic of Ireland - Poland qualify for Euro 2016

90 + 3 minRED CARD: John O'Shea goes off for a cynical tug on Lewandowski and he picks up a second booking. Oh dear.

90 + 1 minFIVE MINUTES ADDED ON: It only takes a second to score a goal so, technically, Ireland can score 360 of them. They'll settle for one.

90 minOh Aiden McGeady. The SCOT's cross goes straight out for a goal kick. That was a joke, of course. He's been lively since coming on.

87 minBOOKING: The free kick comes to nothing and Poland clear their lines. They're three minutes away from France. Peszko goes into the book for kicking the ball away now.

85 minFive minutes to go and Poland and Germany are going to France as it stands, but Ireland have previous for late goals in Group D. Huge last five minutes. Brady will whip a free kick in now. Let's go.

81 minCHANCE! Oh my word Richard Keogh has a free header, from about seven yards, but it's far too close to Fabianski, who saves. Was that the chance?

78 minSHOT! Aiden McGeady gets a sight at goal at last, but his effort is well over.

75 minBetter from Ireland but Brady's delivery has been uncharacteristically poor and Fabianski takes enough. Fifteen to play.

73 minCHANCE! We just said Krychowiak has been brilliant, and he has been, but he should've scored here. He's totally free from a corner, in the box this time, but his header from 10 yards out is wide.

71 minTACKLE! Brilliant from Seamus Coleman as he saves Ireland's skin here. Lewandowski's brilliant first touch puts him through one-on-one with Randolph, but the Everton man gets back in the nick of time.

70 minGood goalkeeping from Fabianski as he plucks Brady's corner out of the sky. At the other end, Krychowiak, coolest player on the park, knocks it over the head of McCarthy a la Patrick Vieira, before being fouled by McLean. The Pole has been quite superb tonight.

68 minKeane has barely had a sniff since coming on. Then again, he's a little like Lewandowski in the sense that he only needs a chance and he'll punish Poland. Twenty-two minutes to play.

65 minSAVE! Brilliant from Darren Randolph, making his first international start, as he kept out Prosicki after being played through by Lewandowski. Fair play to him, but Poland still in full control.

63 minSUB: Poland make their first sub now as BÅ‚aszczykowski replaces Olkowski.

61 minRight, so there's half-an-hour left and Ireland, as it stands, are heading out. They need magic from somewhere but I'm not sure if they'll find it.

58 minSUB: The Irish are going for it. McGeady replaces Whelan.

56 minSUB: Yep, Keano, who has 67 international goals, comes on. Not a bad sub to make, is it?

55 minMartin O'Neill is furious as Glik fouls Long from behind, but the referee doesn't see it as a foul. The Southampton man looks like he has to come off, which is a huge blow. He's been stretchered off and surely Robbie Keane will replace him.

53 minYou could see why the likes of Arsenal were looking at Krychowiak in recent years. He's a superbly intelligent midfielder. He makes a mug of McCarthy just now before supplying Lewandowski.

51 minSHOT! Promising as Glenn Whelan drills at goal but it's comfortable for Fabianski. It was much better from the visitors, but they've still got a big task ahead of them.

48 minWorryingly for Ireland, Poland aren't finished. They've started this second half like a team determined to put Ireland to bed once and for all, but the Irish coping well so far.

45 minKICKOFF: We're back! Can Ireland do it? They need to believe. Beating world champions Germany is no mean feat, but they did it, and no reason why they can't score twice here.

8.37pmWell, decent first half then! Krychowiak's superb half volley from the edge of the area opened the scoring on 13 minutes, but two minutes later the Irish were awarded a hugely controversial penalty when Pazdan fouled Long OUTSIDE the box. Walters didn't care, he slotted a wonderful penalty, but Lewandowski, who was quiet for some 43 minutes, powered home a header in the closing minutes of the half to re-establish the lead. Deserved? Not exactly. Ireland were good value for their point, but they switched off and paid the penalty. As it stands, Poland and Germany going through automatically.

8.33pmHALF TIME: Poland 2-1 Republic of Ireland

43 minWe said that you can't switch off against a striker of Lewandowski's calibre, but Ireland did. Mączyński floats a decent ball into the box and Richard Keogh was nowhere near tight enough to the Bayern man, who powered home an old-fashioned diving header.

42 minGOAL! Poland 2-1 Republic of Ireland (Lewandowski)

41 minFour minutes to go and it's been a decent half. Walters's excellent, yet controversial penalty cancelled out Krychowiak's brilliant half volley and that's the story of the half.

39 minJames McLean is probably a touch fortunate to avoid a yellow card as he hooks Olkowski's legs away from him, but Grosicki's free kick amounts to nothing, failing to beat the first man.

36 minCHANCE! Has to go down as a chance as Prosicki curls just wide from the edge of the box. You could see what he was trying, but the execution was useless. Nine minutes to go in this half.

34 minColeman does brilliantly here as he beats Krychowiak to the byline but seems like running out for a goal kick, but his brilliant back heel at the last moment comes off the Sevilla man, though Brady's corner comes to nothing.

31 minWell we're 31 minutes deep and I don't think Shane Long has stopped running since kick off. His work rate has been astounding and that bodes very well for Ireland.

29 minThe good news for Ireland is that Lewandowski hasn't had a sniff. The bad news is that Grosicki looks really dangerous. Really dangerous. I wouldn't be surprised to see him score tonight.

26 minThe Irish have settled well since those couple of scares since the goal and the game has reverted to what it was before both goals were scored, which isn't a good thing because it was pony prior to that. It's good for Poland, though. Remember: a point will see them through.

23 minPolish fans are whistling and it's a little like a scene from The Grey. They're like wolves and, like wolves, they want blood for that penalty decision. It was a shocker, but the Irish won't care.

21 minIreland need to settle. They've got the best defensive record in Group D but you wouldn't know it by the way they've started. They look erratic at the back and there's more goals in this for Poland.

18 minDISALLOWED GOAL! Wow the officials might not get out of here alive. Mączyński scores a second for Poland, tapping into an empty net, but Lewandowski was deemed offside and the goal is chalked off. That one actually looked a good decision.

17 minOh my word what a superb penalty and the Irish are level! Amazing scenes in Warsaw, but also controversial scenes. Pazdan appeared to foul Long with a high boot, but it occurred outside the box! Wow. Huge error from the referee.

16 minGOAL! Poland 1-1 Republic of Ireland (Walters penalty)

15 minPENALTY TO IRELAND!

15 minToo easy. It's just too easy. Grosicki floats his corner to the unmarked Krychowiak on the edge of the box. The Sevilla midfielder controls it superbly, before drilling a half volley past Randolph.

14 minGOAL! Poland 1-0 Ireland (Krychowiak)

11 minGood hands by Fabianski here as the ex-Arsenal man, who was once known as Flappyhandski, plucks Coleman's free kick out of the sky under pressure from Walters. He's been excellent for Swansea this past 18 months or so.

8 minIt's ever so cagey this one. It ended 3-3 the last time Ireland faced Poland away but we're not seeing six goals tonight. We'd do well to see six chances. Yep, it's that kind of game so far.

5 minExcellent industry from Shane Long as he forces Glik into an error and Ireland win a throw-in. His work rate could be key tonight. He's deceptively quick, much like a whippet.

3 minIt's been a steady start by the Irish. They're knocking it around nicely, but it's so important that they don't suffer any lapses in concentration because Lewandowski will punish you.

1 minKICKOFF: We're off! What a massive game for both sides. Victory for Ireland and they're through to France. Victory or a draw for the Poles and they progress. Let's go.

7.41pmRight, no more messing about Kickoff is imminent! Well, in about four minutes.

7.37pmIf you're any relation to Gary Breen then it's just as well.

7.35pmGo hard or go home, unless you're home already, in which case stay there Malachy.

7.33pmIt's unclear if he's talking about John O'Shea or Jason Momoa.

7.31pmMartin O'Neill should've brought this for the red-hot Lewandowski. You know, because he's been on fire lately.

7.29pmFrom a 1/10 to a 10/10. Top drawer.

7.27pmMassive 1/10 this, and the one is for spelling 'conquered' right.

7.25pmSpicy food on a night like this doesn't bode well, Rob. Let's just say you might have to have another shower.

7.23pmLet's see what Twitter says about this one.

7.21pmPREDICTION! This is about as unpredictable as a drunk Diego Costa playing roulette, but we'll try, and I'm going for a 1-1 draw. I think the Irish will fall that bit short unfortunately. I do think they'll take the lead, and I've got a tenner riding on Walters to be that man. He loves a big goal.

7.18pmPart one of the Irish job is complete, by the way, with Ireland beating France to set up a quarter-final clash with Argentina. Well done them. #Rugby

7.15pmHEAD TO HEAD: These sides have only faced off three times previously and we're still awaiting the first victory. The reverse fixture in this campaign finished 1-1 in Dublin, with Long netting a 92nd-minute equaliser. Prior to that, they squared off in qualifying for Euro 1992. It finished 0-0 in Dublin, but a thrilling 3-3 draw in Poznan in 1991 more than made up for it. Paul McGrath, Andy Townsend and Tony Cascarino were amongst the goals for Ireland that night.

7.12pmWho can the Irish look to for a bit of goalscoring inspiration? Well, Robbie Keane has scored more international goals than any other active player in world football, which is quite a feat, but he's only been able to score against Gibraltar in this campaign. And he's on the bench, so we can't have him. Who then? I'm glad you asked because it has to be Long. Okay he's no Lewandowski, but he has the pace and movement to trouble the Poles tonight, make no mistake. I also fancy a decent showing from McLean on the left.

7.09pmRight, let's have a quick look at the danger men, and it's not too difficult for Poland, is it? It's a little like asking who's the danger man in One Direction - if you swap Niall Horan with Hannibal Lecter. Or Freddy Kruger. Or Diego Costa. You get the point - anybody heinous. Anywho, yep it's Lewandowski of course. Twenty one goals for club and country already this season, and he's the leading goalscorer in qualification with 12. Richie Keogh and John O'Shea have a long night on their hands either way.

7.06pmOn to the Boys in Green now and O'Neill makes FIVE changes from that 1-0 win over Germany. The hero from that night Shane Long displaces Daryl Murphy up top to lead the line, with Jonathan Walters in behind. James McLean and Glenn Whelan, who were suspended for the Germany visit, return to replace Wes Hoolahan and Stephen Ward, with Robbie Brady dropping into left-back. Seamus Coleman comes in for Cyrus Christie, while the injured Shay Given makes way for Darren Randolph, who assisted Long on the Friday night!

7.03pmSo, let's start with the Poles, because it's been a very pro-Irish commentary so far I feel, and Robert Lewandowski, who has 70 goals in his last five games or something very similar, spearheads their attack. Ajax striker Arkadiusz Milik drops out with a muscle tear, being replaced by Karol Linetty, who drops back into a five-man midfield encompassing Krzysztof Maczynski, Kamil Grosicky, Grzegorz Krychowiak and Pawel Olkowski. Coach Adam Nawalka is taking no chance. That is one beefy midfield. It's so beefy that buddists consider it sacred. Maybe.

7.00pmREPUBLIC OF IRELANDS SUBS: Forde, Elliot, Wilson, Christie, McShane, McGeady, Meyler, Gibson, Hoolahan, Keane, Murphy, McGoldrick

6.59pmPOLAND SUBS: Szczesny; Boruc, Cionek, Szckula, Zielinski, Kapustka, Mila, Peszko, Sobiech, Jedrzejzcyk

6.58pmREPUBLIC OF IRELAND XI: Randolph; Coleman, O'Shea, Keogh, Brady; Whelan, McCarthy, Hendrick, McClean: Walters, Long

6.56pmPOLAND XI: Fabianski; Olkowski, Wawrzyniak, Glik, Piszcek; Pazdan, Maczynski, Krychowiak, Linetty; Grosicki, Lewnadowski

6.53pmIf you didn't know already then the theme of this coverage is green. The Hulk. Tennis balls. Cucumbers. Sprite. Jealousy. American money. Dodgy McDonalds chips, the ones you're too afraid to eat. Yep, it's green all the way this evening. Before we get into team news, let's whet the appetite with a sing-song.

6.50pmWhat a fabulous campaign it's been for the Irish. Before Group D kicked off, if you had told them that they'd be ONE point behind world champions Germany, with one qualifier to play, they'd have laughed. And laughed hard. But this is the reality, my friends. The Irish, in third, are guaranteed a playoff place, but victory over second-placed Poland would see them secure automatic qualification. England, Wales and Northern Ireland are waiting for them. Hard luck Scotland.

6.47pmWith the Republic of Ireland clashing with Poland in their must-win Euro 2016 qualifier, and Ireland facing France in the Rugby World Cup, Eire, as an island, might just become submerged in Guinness this evening. From the sky, Ireland will probably resemble something of an oil spill. A big one. Yep, suffice to say it's quite a day of sport on these shores. We're focusing on the football, however, as Martin O'Neill's men look to book their ticket to Euro 2016 by winning in Poland! Can it be done? Of course, but will it? Well, we'll know in, hmm, about three hour's time.
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