Jodłowiec own goal gives France win in Poland
Thursday, June 9, 2011
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Poland 0-1 France
Tomasz Jodłowiec turned into his own net after 12 minutes to consign the UEFA EURO 2012 co-hosts to a friendly defeat in Warsaw.
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Poland 0-1 France
Having beaten Ukraine 4-1 in Donetsk on Monday, France completed a double against the UEFA EURO 2012 co-hosts thanks to an own goal from Poland's Tomasz Jodłowiec.
The decisive moment in Warsaw came on 12 minutes when Jodłowiec inadvertently headed Wigan Athletic FC winger Charles N'Zogbia's angled shot into his own net. Laurent Blanc's Les Bleus are now unbeaten in ten games.
Poland had beaten an Argentina XI 2-1 on Sunday, and Franciszek Smuda's men kicked off against France with plenty of passion. The hosts passed up a decent early chance when Robert Lewandowski came close to applying a decisive touch to Adrian Mierzejewski's low cross.
Not long after, though, home goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny was wrong-footed by Jodłowiec's intervention and France were ahead. The visitors proved to be resolute in defence thereafter, despite the occasional scare such as when LOSC Lille Métropole's Ludovic Obraniak's let fly a free-kick and Mierzejewski tried his luck from the rebound.
After Guillaume Hoarau blocked a Mierzejewski strike from a tight angle on 72 minutes, the Paris Saint-Germain FC forward was almost rewarded for his efforts within seconds – but breaking one-on-one with Szczęsny, he was outwitted by the Arsenal FC goalkeeper.
Late on, France's Bacary Sagna headed a Lewandowski effort off the line, before both the Borussia Dortmund striker and substitute Adam Matuszczyk tested France's debutant custodian Cédric Carrasso as time ticked down.
