Lethal Poland too strong for Gibraltar
Monday, September 7, 2015
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Poland 8-1 Gibraltar
Poland became the first team to score eight in this qualifying campaign before the visitors found the net for only the second time.
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- Leading scorer Robert Lewandowski takes his qualifying tally to ten goals
- The No9's double is matched by Kamil Grosicki and Arkadiusz Milik
- Poland make it 15 goals against Gibraltar in their two Group D meetings
- Visitors end game on high with second ever competitive goal
- Next matches: Scotland v Poland, Georgia v Gibraltar (8 October)
Two more goals for Robert Lewandowski took his Group D tally to ten as Poland showed no mercy against Gibraltar to stay two points off leaders Germany at the top of their UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying section.
Kamil Grosicki and Arkadiusz Milik matched Lewandowski's double as the hosts proved far too good for a team they beat 7-0 on matchday one. The result keeps Adam Nawalka's men in touch with the world champions and maintains a two-point cushion over the Republic of Ireland, while there was consolation for the visitors who registered their second ever competitive goal through Jake Gosling.
Gibraltar have proved a favourite opposition not just for Lewandowski – who hit four in the sides' first meeting – but also Grosicki who netted twice in Faro-Loule a year ago. The Rennes man opened the scoring eight minutes in, heading in a Lewandowski cross, before chipping Jordan Perez to double both his and his country's advantage.
Lewandowski looped an effort from range into the top corner to make it three in the 18th minute, then found the target again from Milik's cross. The Bayern München forward spurned the opportunity of a hat-trick, denied by Lopez when one-on-one, so it was left to Milik to extend the lead with a neat finish after Grzegorz Krychowiak's pass sent him clear.
Jakub Błaszczykowski converted from the penalty spot after Lewandowski was fouled by Erin Barnett before two goals in as many minutes rounded off the Polish rout, Milik and Bartosz Kapustka finding the target in double-quick succession.
Even so, three minutes from time there was a bright end to an otherwise difficult Warsaw evening for the Gibraltarians when Gosling danced past two tacklers and side-footed beyond Łukasz Fabiański to become his country's second scorer in competitive internationals.