Poland v Slovakia: Euro 2020 – live!
14-Jun-2021 15:30:03 | Guardian
Group D: Ewan Murray was at Hampden Park to see Scotland go down to a brace from Patrik Schick. Here’s how he saw the action unfold ...
Related: Schick’s halfway line hit helps Czech Republic spoil Scotland’s party
Poland (3-4-3): Szczesny, Jozwiak, Bereszynski, Glik, Bednarek, Puchasz, Krychowwiak, Moder, Klich, Zielinski, Lewandowski.
Slovakia (4-2-3-1): Dubravka, Pekarik, Satka, Skriniar, Hubocan, Kucka, Hromada, Haraslin, Hamsik, Mak, Duda.
There wasn’t a huge amount between the teams at Hampden Park, but the Czech’s took their chances while Scotland didn’t. Patrik Schick scored twice, his second from 50 yards out and a strike that will take some beating in the Goal of the Tournament stakes.
Related: Scotland v Czech Republic: Euro 2020 – live!
Related: Peter Pekarik: Slovakia’s Mr Reliable looking to go out on a high
“First of all, we know we represent the whole of Poland,” he said. “We want to come back to our base with smiles. Monday will be one of the most important days of my coaching career. I thank God that football gave so much to me and to my family. I am really glad that I can participate in Euro 2020.
“I am so glad all my players are healthy,” said Slovakia’s coach. “The whole team are ready and motivated to be successful. The game will be a challenge for us. Paper assumptions are not important for me. I will be happy if we leave the field with our heads up and if we show our fans we came here to fight for our country.”
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Related: ‘Ineffective striker’: Lewandowski’s struggles on the road to glory | Nick Ames
Ovidiu Hategan leads a largely Romanian team of match officials. With no VAR in the Romanian league, Italy’s Marco Di Bello will be in the TV bunker keeping his eyes peeled.
Poland have had to leave several key personnel at home, with manager Paulo Sousa forced to plan without the services of injured defenders Krystian Bielik and Arkadiusz Reca, as well as strikers Krzysztof Piatek and Arkadiusz Milik. The latter pair’s absence may prompt their manager to play Lewandowski up front on his own, rather than with a partner.
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Completed eight years late and at a mere 548% over budget, the Saint Petersburg Stadium in Russia will be at half it’s 61,000 capacity as it hosts this afternoon’s Group E opener between Poland and Slovakia.
Both nations come into the tournment on decidedly uninspiring runs of form but in Robert Lewandowski, the Poles boast the world’s most lethal striker. In Milan Skriniar and Marek Hamsik, Slovakia boast a couple of international household names of their own but will start as outsiders in this match. Kick-off is at 5pm (BST) but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
Related: Euro 2020 team guides part 17: Poland
Related: Euro 2020 team guides part 18: Slovakia
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