Zurawski ends Northern Ireland defiance

Poland 1 - Northern Ireland

Maik Taylor made a string of superb saves last night but could not save Northern Ireland from defeat in this World Cup qualifier. It was all going according to plan until the 86th minute when Maciej Zurawski headed home a cross from Miroslaw Szymkowiak.

That left the Birmingham goalkeeper with a feeling of disbelief after a tremendous one-man show. With only three points, Northern Ireland now sit 12 behind last night's opponents.

"I think it [qualification] is beyond us now," said Taylor afterwards. "We wanted to show that we have got a lot of character after our second-half performance against England and I think we showed that tonight."

Northern Ireland's manager Lawrie Sanchez blamed a moment of naïvety for their defeat. "We had them bang to rights 0-0 after giving a solid performance," he said. "Then we give away a goal like that with minutes to go. They seemed to be much more athletic than us. That athleticism is not something we have got."

Over 800 Northern Ireland fans were in the stadium, hoping to see an improved performance from the team and they were not disappointed. The visitors nearly took a shock lead in the 13th minute when James Quinn rattled in a volley that was heading for the top corner after good work from Chris Baird and Keith Gillespie. The Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek reacted superbly to turn the shot away.

Northern Ireland played with confidence in the first half, although they were still relying on their goalkeeper when they came under pressure. Taylor parried a header from Zurawski in the 26th minute following a cross from Marcin Baszczynski and three minutes later he scooped away a close-range shot by Jacek Krzynowek.

Poland raised the tempo after the restart and Tomasz Frankowski found space in the area after 53 minutes and fired in a shot, but Aaron Hughes made a crucial block. Northern Ireland's organisation, coupled with the heroics of their goalkeeper, began to frustrate the home team and their supporters. Taylor made more crucial stops in the second half, including one from a lob by Jacek Bak and another from smart shot by Bartosz Karwan.

Taylor was finally undone as Poland secured the points with four minutes to go. It was a cruel blow for Northern Ireland who had defended so stoutly.

POLAND: Dudek (Liverpool); Klos (Wisla Krakow), Rzasa (Heerenveen), Baszcyznski (Wisla Krakow), Kaluzny (Bayer Leverkusen), Bak (Lens), Karwan (Hertha Berlin), Krzynowek (Bayer Leverkusen), Zurawski (Wisla Krakow), Szymkowiak (Trabzonspor), Frankowski (Wisla Krakow). Substitutes:Kielbowicz (Legia Warsaw) for Rzasa, h-t; Mila (Austria Vienna) for Kaluzney, 64; Rasiak (Derby) for Karwan, 74

NORTHERN IRELAND: Taylor (Birmingham City); Baird (Southampton), Murdock (Crewe), Williams (Rushden), Hughes (Newcastle), Capaldi (Plymouth), Gillespie (Leicester), Davis (Aston Villa), Whitley (Sunderland), Healy (Leeds), Quinn (Sheff Wednesday). Substitutes:Feeney (Stockport) fort Quinn, 84; Smith (Preston) for Healy, 80; Elliott (Hull) for Williams, 87;

Referee: P Frojdfeldt (Sweden).