Poland vs Sweden LIVE: World Cup play-off final result, score and reaction tonight
Relive all the action from Chorzow
Poland’s Robert Lewandowski and Piotr Zielinski fired second-half goals to book a place at the World Cup finals in Qatar with a 2-0 win over Sweden in an electrifying playoff tie on Tuesday.
The Poles battled to contain a Sweden side bristling with youthful attacking vigour, but in the end experience told as Lewandowski and his team mates capitalised on mistakes.
After a shaky opening, the Swedes quickly grew into the game and winger Emil Forsberg should have given them the lead but Wojciech Szczesny pulled off the first of a string of fine saves to turn the ball behind for a corner in the 19th minute.
The home side also struggled as Sweden winger Dejan Kulusevski twice went close before the playoff final turned on a clumsy mistake by Jesper Karlstroem.
The Swedish midfielder mistimed a challenge in the box early in the second half and ended up bundling Poland substitute Grzegorz Krychowiak to the ground, with Italian referee Daniele Orsato immediately pointing to the spot.
Up stepped Poland captain Lewandowski to send Robin Olsen the wrong way as he confidently struck his low spot kick into the net for his 75th international goal.
The Swedes threw caution to the wind and poured forward, with Szczesny getting down smartly to deny Forsberg again and Victor Lindelof sending the resulting corner just wide with a glancing header.
Just as the visitors looked to be on the verge of scoring, a mix-up between Kristoffer Olsson and Marcus Danielson allowed Zielinski to score as he curled the ball into the net at the near post in the 73rd minute.
The Swedes brought their record scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic off the bench for the final 10 minutes but Szczesny and the Polish defence held firm in front of a capacity crowd to secure their country’s spot at the World Cup. Relive all the action live below:
Poland 2-0 Sweden, 89 minutes
And it is looking more and more likely that Poland will be joining them. Goalscorer Piotr Zielinski is engulfed by a group of unused substitutes as he is replaced by Adam Buksa.
F/T: Portugal 2-0 North Macedonia
Hand slaps and hugs for Portugal as the flags wave in the stands. They got the job done in a professional manner, taking two chances in a clinical fashion and ensuring their place at a sixth successive World Cup.
FULL TIME! PORTUGAL 2-0 NORTH MACEDONIA
PORTUGAL HAVE QUALIFIED FOR THE 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP IN QATAR
Portugal 2-0 North Macedonia, 90 + 1 minutes
Into three added minutes in Porto, and a debut for home hero Vitinha, replacing Joao Moutinho. Portugal are going to the 2022 Fifa World Cup.
Poland 2-0 Sweden, 84 minutes
Polish manager Czeslaw Michniewicz tucks his hands in the pockets of what looks like a warm, dark coat. This would be some achievement. Remember that this is his first competitive game in charge of the senior national side.
Portugal 2-0 North Macedonia, 88 minutes
Canny from Fernando Santos. He has both Joao Felix and Matheus Nunes ready to come on but directs the fourth official to only put up the number of the former, allowing him to kill yet more clock by making a second substitution when the ball next exits play.
Poland 2-0 Sweden, 81 minutes
A little scuffle wastes a minute for Poland. No sense, yet, that the home fans feel they are creeping towards qualification but time keeps ticking by.
Poland 2-0 Sweden, 79 minutes
In a time of crisis, send for the self-styled superhero: Zlatan Ibrahimovic is on for Sweden. Jesper Karlsson, too. Marcus Danielson and Kristoffer Olsen take the fastest route possible off the Silesian Stadium surface.
Portugal 2-0 North Macedonia, 82 minutes
Less than ten minutes of normal time remain in Porto and there is just a hint that North Macedonia may have started to tire. It’s been a gallant effort against a strong side but Portugal are looking good to be in Friday’s draw.
GOAL! POLAND 2-0 Sweden (Piotr Zielinski, 74 minutes)
A goal that moves Poland even closer to qualification for Qatar 2022! It’s another against the run of play for Poland, Piotr Zielinski rushing through and finishing at the near post beyond Robin Olsen, who was rather slow to leave his line.
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