It was the 93rd minute of the Poland match

The Polish national team wanted to erase the stain after Friday’s 1-5 defeat in Porto on Monday. Michał Probierz made a revolution in the starting lineup. Compared to the match against Portugal, he replaced as many as seven players. Only Kamil Piątkowski, Jakub Kiwior, Piotr Zieliński and Nicola Zalewski remained in the squad. The striker duo was to be Adam Buksa and Karol Świderski. The Reds and Whites knew that not losing would allow them to maintain a chance to stay in the Nations League – third place in the group meant playing in the relegation play-offs in March. However, the Scots, who defeated Croatia at home on Friday (1-0), hoped that in addition to winning, Warsaw would even qualify for the quarter-finals of the Nations League. For this they needed a favorable result in the parallel clash between Croatia and Portugal.

The fans didn’t have time to sit down properly and Poland was already losing

In the first actions it seemed that the Poles started better. Zalewski sent a nice long pass looking for Sebastian Szymański, but he didn’t control the ball. The Scots got down to specifics almost immediately after this situation. In the 3rd minute, Ben Doak carried out an action on the right side of the field and played to John McGinn, who was completely uncovered in front of the penalty area. The Aston Villa midfielder had plenty of space and time to take a precise shot. The ball was in the net.

The goal scored only enthused the Scots, who continued to attack. The hit Doak was particularly active. The Poles scored twice under Craig Gordon’s goal in the first quarter of an hour. Jakub Kamiñski entered the penalty area, but his shot could not threaten the Scottish goalkeeper. Kamil Piątkowski’s attempt caused him much more trouble. The Salzburg defender tried to surprise his opponent with a long-range shot.

The Poles seemed to be gaining the advantage with every minute, they were trying to equalize, but their actions lacked effectiveness. The best opportunity to draw was wasted by Karol Świderski, who came face to face with Gordon in the 23rd minute after a long pass.

However, the Scots did not intend to stop at just one goal. Billy Gilmour hit the crossbar with a shot from outside the penalty area, and Lyndon Dykes also tried his luck. What remained constant in the visitors’ game was that they carried out most of their attacks from the right wing. McTominay also eagerly joined in offensive actions. The former Manchester United player also had a chance to score a goal, but lost the duel with Łukasz Skorupski.

In the second penalty area, Szymański created a good scoring opportunity for Buksa. Once again, however, the Poles were unable to finish the action and once again 42-year-old Craig Gordon stood in the way of scoring a goal.

The Scots sent another warning before the break. Skorupski was saved again by the frame of the goal – McTominay’s shot stopped at the post. On the Polish side, Kamiński finished the first half. The Wolfsburg winger – the most active of the White and Reds – made a nice shot from a distance.

The shot of Piątkowski’s life. There was nothing to collect

During the break, Probierz decided to make a change. Jakub Moder, who was in poor condition, left the field and was replaced by Bartosz Slisz. The hosts wanted to start the second half just like the guests started the first. It must be admitted that they almost succeeded. Kamiński’s shot from under the goal line was cleared by Souttar. In response, McGinn sent a threatening pass into the goal area, but Kiwior made a good intervention.

In the 58th minute, the Poles once again started to attack. This time, Piątkowski took matters into his own hands. The Salzburg defender caught the ball in front of the opponent’s penalty area and made thousands of fans gathered at the National Stadium happy with a fiendishly powerful shot. It was the 24-year-old stopper’s first goal in national colors.

The lost goal had a motivating effect on the Scots. Now they were forced to attack to stay in the Nations League. Skorupski defended Dykes’ header in fantastic style. However, this was one of the last good chances for both teams. The pace of the match visibly slowed down, and the players who drove both teams – Kamiński, Doak and McTominay – were replaced. The substitutes were unable to threaten the goals guarded by Skorupski and Gordon.

When it seemed that the result would not change, the Scots carried out a decisive action. Souttar sent the ball into the penalty area, where Robertson escaped from Zalewski, jumped highest and beat Skorupski with a header. The defeat means Poland’s relegation to the B division. After the final whistle, whistling said goodbye to the White and Reds.

In a parallel match, Portugal drew 1-1 away with Croatia. The goals were scored by Joao Felix and Josko Gvardiol.

Poland – Scotland 1:2 (0:1)

• Council: Kamil Piątkowski (59th) – John McGinn (2nd), Andrew Robertson (90th+2)
• Poland: Skorupski – Piątkowski, Walukiewicz, Kiwior – Kamiński (63. Puchacz) Szymański, Moder (46. Slisz), Zieliński (k), Zalewski – Buksa, Świderski (75. Urbański)
• coach: Michał Probierz
• Scotland: Gordon – Ralston (76. Devlin), Souttar, Hanley, Robertson (k) – Gilmour (87.Armstrong), McLean – Doak (66. Christie), McTominay (76. Gauld), McGinn – Dykes (66. Shankland)

coach: Steve Clarke

• National Stadiumviewers: 55,433
• judge: Christian Dingert (Germany)
• yellow cards: Zieliński-McLean, Ralston