England and Poland players almost come to blows at half-time of World Cup qualifier

German referee Daniel Siebert awarded Harry Maguire and Kamil Glik a yellow card each for their roles in the heated exchange

Teammates attempt to separate Harry Maguire and Kamil Glik (The FA via Getty Images)

England and Poland players almost came to blows at half-time of their World Cup qualifying match in Warsaw on Wednesday night.

A competitive and at times feisty first half, in which a number of stern challenges went unpunished by German referee Daniel Siebert, ended with players from both teams squaring up to one another.

Poland defender Kamil Glik and England counterpart Harry Maguire were at the centre of the exchange, and Siebert awarded a yellow card to each man once the incident had passed.

Prior to that moment, at which tensions nearly spilled over, no Polish players had been booked, while Kalvin Phillips had received a yellow card for a seemingly innocuous – and successful – attempt to win the ball in midfield.

Shortly after Phillips’ booking, Jack Grealish was upended by Kamil Jozwiak, who avoided a yellow card despite his late tackle.

England lead qualifying Group I ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, with Poland in second place.