Wojciech Szczesny was lights out for his country, but Poland still lost 2-0 to Argentina. The attack never found its footing, with Robert Lewandowski and Piotr Zielinkski struggling to create chances. However, despite dropping the final match of the group stage, Czeslaw Michniewicz’s team still advanced to the Round of 16.
Wojciech Szczesny – 9
The Juventus goalkeeper put on an all-time performance for the Eagles, making 9 saves as Argentina peppered the goal with shots. In the first half alone, Szczesny made seven stops, including a clutch denial of Lionel Messi’s penalty attempt.
Kamil Glik – 7
At times, Glik’s lack of speed really showed when Argentina’s forwards made diagonal runs through the backline. However, Poland’s compact defensive structure meant that this weakness was not exposed regularly. The captain won several aerial challenges, but his efforts were not enough.
Jakub Kiwior – 6
The young Spezia defender was not exceptional, but he cleaned up loose balls at the back effectively.
Matty Kash – 6
While the right flank was too open to switches, Kash put in a decent showing. He helped move the ball up the wing and looked like the most dynamic Polish creator.
Bartosz Bereszynski – 5
In the first half, the right-back struggled mightily against Angel Di Maria. The winger was too creative for the Sampdoria man, especially when cutting inside.
Krystian Bielik – 5
Bielik actually distributed the ball decently during the first 30 minutes. However, he committed too many turnovers from his reserved position in the midfield.
Grzegorz Krychowiak – 5
The central midfielder also played a deep, defensive role for a majority of the match. When Argentina was in possession, he was decent, but his time on the ball and distribution was less than impressive.
Piotr Zielinski – 5.5
While Zielinski did not make many mistakes, he struggled to create any sort of attacking chance, along with the rest of Poland’s team.
Przemysław Frankowski – 3.5
On the left wing, Frankowski was truly awful for Poland. His passing was atrocious, he lost the ball far too easily, and he struggled to create any sort of attacking chance for his side. At halftime, Jakub Kaminski replaced the midfielder.
Karol Swiderski – 5
The Charlotte forward had a few bright moments, but he failed to get on the ball often. Despite nominally being a striker, he played on the backline when Poland set up its defensive structure. Like Frankowski, the forward left the match at halftime.
Robert Lewandowski – 5
Along with Swiderski, Lewandowski did not receive enough service. He tried to use his hold-up play to create counter attacking chances, but, nearly every time, several Argentina defenders overwhelmed the striker.
The moment Lewandowski found out Poland we're going through to the Round of 16 for the first time since 1986 ??
Look at what it means ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Cisxhe8xaT
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 30, 2022
Substitutes
Jakub Kaminski – 4
After replacing Frankowski at halftime, Kaminski managed just 17 touches and passed at a 50% clip.
Michal Skoras – 5
Skoras was not awful, but he failed to help Poland’s attack get going.