The Bundesliga’s top scorer Robert Lewandowski suffered a disappointing World Cup debut as his Poland side were beaten 2-1 by Senegal. The European side fell behind on 38 minutes after an own goal by Thiago Cionek, who deflected an effort from Idrissa Gueye into his own net. The Polish defence also gave Senegal a helping hand for their second goal when M’Baye Niang took advantage of a mix-up between goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and Jan Bednarek to make it 2-0. Grzegorz Krychowiak did manage to get one back for the Poles with just minutes remaining.
Lewandowski played the full 90 minutes in Moscow, but found chances limited by the vigilance of the Senegalese defence. The Poland captain fired wide on the turn from the edge of the box halfway through the first half before Senegal goalkeeper Khadim N’Diaye saved the 29-year-old’s threatening free-kick shortly after the break.
The next task for Lewandowski and Poland is against his FCB teammate James Rodriguez and Colombia on Sunday (20.00 CEST). With both sides opening the tournament with defeats, the loser may be going home. Poland’s final group game is against Japan on Thursday (16.00).
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