Milan Skriniar strike earns Slovakia Euro 2020 win over 10-man Poland

14-Jun-2021 17:53:02 | Guardian

So much for Robert Lewandowski and Marek Hamsik. This match was decided by Milan Skriniar, who kept Poland’s talisman in his pocket throughout and, midway through the second half, won it with a finish that would have made any world-class striker proud. Skriniar has just enjoyed a marvellous season at the heart of Internazionale’s defence but hitting the heights with Slovakia is another matter; they now have a foot in the last 16, though, and some margin for error in their remaining Group E assignments against Sweden and Spain.

The same cannot be said of Poland, who had been quietly fancied before the tournament but have made a disastrous start. They appeared to have cleared their heads when Karol Linetty equalised Wojciech Szczesny’s own goal, the product of a poor first half showing, straight after the interval and looked the likely winners. A needless red card for Grzegorz Krychowiak killed their momentum, though, and Skriniar took advantage with a fine half-volley.