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Peaks and Valleys

by Chris Kwiatkowski
2010-05-30 11:04 CET  |  PFO

The history of the Polish national football team is filled with peaks and valleys. Since its inaugural match in 1921, the team has had remarkable successes, heart breaking defeats, and periods of poor results. The following is a summary of the ups and downs.

1972 Summer Olympics

Although Poland did have some successes in their earlier years, it wasn't until the 70's that Poland finally became a power on the international football stage. The first major success for the Poles came at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany.

Coached by legendary Polish coach, Kazimierz Górski, Poland took everyone by surprise. In group play, they defeated Colombia, Ghana, and East Germany and took first place in the group with 11 goals for and only 2 goals against. They went on to the next round, and again went undefeated against Denmark (draw), Morocco (win), and the Soviet Union (win) with 10 goals scored and only 2 goals against. That secured them a final match with Hungary, who they defeated 2-1 to win the gold medal.

During the tournament, players such as Jerzy Gorgon, Kazimierz Deyna, Robert Gadocha, and Wlodzimierz Lubanski showed that Polish players can compete against the best.

World Cup 1974 (West Germany)

Even though Poland won Olympic gold 2 years earlier, they were still relatively unknown on the international football scene prior to the 1974 World Cup in Germany. Nonetheless, they shocked the football world with their amazing speed and incredible team chemistry. England (quarter-finalists in 1970 and Champions in 1966) was the first to fall victim to their almost unstoppable play, as they were eliminated in qualifying by Poland.

In their first group match against Argentina, Poland scored 2 goals in the first eight minutes, and ended up winning the match 3-2. Grzegorz Lato scored twice, and Andrzej Szarmach scored once. Their second game was an easy 7-0 victory against Haiti, with a hat-trick from Szarmach and two more from Lato. In their final group game, Poland defeated the previous World Cup runner-up, Italy, 2-1. The goals for Poland came from Szarmach and Deyna, and a consolation goal for Italy by Fabio Capello.

In the second round, Poland defeated Sweden 1-0 with Lato scoring the only goal. The second game saw Poland defeat Yugoslavia 2-1, with goals coming from Deyna and Lato. The last game that determined who went to the World Cup final, was against West Germany. It had rained all day, and as a result the field was entirely flooded. Poland wanted to postpone the game, but Germany did not agree. The game went ahead in the terribly wet conditions, and Poland's speed was negated. In the 76th minute Gerd Muller scored the only goal which trickled into the Polish net. Although this result devastated all Polish fans, the team ended the tournament on a good note. Poland defeated Brazil 1-0 for third place, with Grzegorz Lato scoring the lone goal. This goal was not only the winning goal for third place, but it also crowned him the top scorer of the World Cup with 7 goals.

World Cup 1978 (Argentina)

In qualifying, Poland knocked out Portugal for a place in the World Cup and was grouped with rivals West Germany along with Tunisia and Mexico. Poland opened the World Cup against their rivals from four years prior and the current Champions, West Germany. This time the match ended in a 0–0 draw. Poland then went on to defeat Tunisia 1-0 with Grzegorz Lato scoring the lone goal. In the final group game, Poland met Mexico. Zbigniew Boniek playing in his first World Cup scored twice and Grzegorz Lato scored once, for a 3-1 win for Poland. This would result in Poland winning the group.

In the second round, Poland was given a difficult group by being matched up with three South American teams (Argentina, Peru, and Brazil). In 1974, Poland defeated both Argentina and Brazil, but these teams would get their revenge. Poland was defeated by Argentina 2-0 with two goals from tournament top scorer Mario Kempes. Poland then defeated Peru 1-0 with a goal from Andrzej Szarmach. Finally, Brazil defeated Poland 3-1 with two goals from Roberto and Nelinho for Brazil, and one for Poland scored by Grzegorz Lato. As a result, Poland did not go on to the next round.

World Cup 1982 (Spain)

Coming off a disappointing showing in the 1978 World Cup, Poland came into this tournament with mix of veterans and young prospects with expectations to go far. Zbigniew Boniek was a new star for Poland and this was to be his time to shine. Poland won their group with 0-0 draws against both Italy and Cameroon, before defeating Peru 5-1. In the second round, Poland was drawn with Belgium and the Soviet Union. In their first game against Belgium, Boniek put on an impressive performance by scoring all three goals in a 3-0 with for Poland.

In their following match against the Soviets, Poland only managed a 0-0 draw, but this was good enough for them to finish first and go on to the semi finals. However, during their tense match against the Soviets, Boniek picked up his second yellow card, which meant he would have to miss Poland's semi final match against Italy. With Boniek out, Poland was defeated by Italy (the eventual champions) 2-0 with Paulo Rossi scoring both goals.

For 3rd place, Poland faced France who was defeated by West Germany in the semi finals. With goals from Szarmach, Majewski, and Kupcewicz, Poland Poland defeated France 3-2 in an exciting game. This game and World Cup is widely considered as the end of the golden era of Polish football. World Cup

1986 (Mexico)

Poland was this time grouped with Morocco, Portugal, and England. Fans quickly saw that this was not the same team of previous years. Poland in their first game, only managed a 0-0 draw with Morocco who surprisingly finished first in the group. Poland did however defeat Portugal 1-0 with Wlodzimierz Smolarek scoring for Poland. In their last group game, Poland was defeated by England 3-0 with all three goals scored by Gary Lineker. However, Poland still managed to reach the knockout stages as one of the best third-placed teams. Poland was drawn against a strong Brazilian team that did not give Poland any chance. Brazil won the match 4-0, sending Poland home. This was the last appearance for Poland in the World Cup in the 20th century.

1987-2002

After the golden era for Polish football in the 1970's and 1980's, Poland was unable to qualify for any major tournament.

1992 Summer Olympics

During the time Poland was unable to qualify for the World Cup or European Cup, Poland put on an impressive performance in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. In their group games, Poland defeated Kuwait 2-0, Italy 3-0, and drew with the US 2-2 leaving Poland top of the group. In the quarterfinals, Poland was matched up against Qatar who they defeated 2-0. In the semi-finals Poland destroyed Austria with a score of 6-1 with Andrzej Juskowiak scoring 3 goals. Poland met Spain in the finals, and lost 3-2 in a close game.

World Cup 2002 (South Korea/Japan)

By finishing top of their qualifying group, Poland arrived back on the international stage after a 16 year absence. Poland was drawn against co-hosts South Korea, Portugal, and USA. Fans optimism quickly vanished after their first game against South Korea, which Poland lost 0-2. Their second game against Portugal did not improve the situation. Portugal defeated Poland 4-0 which eliminated them from the tournament. In their final game against the United States, Poland played solely for pride and defeated the US 3-1 with goals from Emmanuel Olisadebe, Pawel Kryszalowicz, and Marcin Zewlakow. This tournament showed that the team was simply unprepared for this level of competition.

World Cup 2006 (Germany)

Poland came into this tournament with high hopes after a great qualifying campaign. Hoping Poland would learn their lesson from four years ago, Polish fans expected their team to qualify out of a group consisting of hosts Germany, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. Once again Poland lost in their first game against Ecuador with a final score of 2-0. This put pressure on the Polish team for their next game against Germany. In what resulted in epic game, Oliver Neuville sunk the hearts of Polish fans with a goal in the 91st minute resulting in a 1-0 win for Germany. Once again, Poland played their final group game already being eliminated from the tournament. Poland defeated Costa Rica 2-1 with two goals headed in by Bartosz Bosacki.

2008 Euro Cup (Austria/Switzerland)

Poland's qualification to the Euro 2008 marked their first appearance in the tournament. Despite qualifying for the tournament with an impressing campaign edging Portugal to the first place in their qualifying group the tournament would be a disappointing debut.

Poland was drawn with rivals Germany, co-hosts Austria, and Croatia. In a rematch of the 2006 World Cup, Poland played Germany in their first game. Germany won the game 2-0 with Polish-born German striker Lukas Podolski, scoring both goals. In their second game, Poland played Austria. Poland was winning the game after Roger Guerreiro scored in the 30th minute. However after an extremely controversial call by referee Howard Webb, Austria was given a penalty kick in the 93rd minute in which Austrian striker Ivica Vastic scored resulting in a 1-1 final score. In order to qualify from the group, Poland would need a large victory in their last game against Croatia. However, Poland was defeated 1-0 was eliminated from the tournament.

2012 Euro Cup (Poland/Ukraine)

On April 18 2007 in Cardiff, Wales, Poland along with Ukraine were elected by the UEFA’s Executive Committee to co-host the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship. It will be the 14th European Championship. Poland’s and Ukraine’s bid defeated the other shortlisted bids from Italy and Croatia/Hungary, becoming the third successful joint-bid for the European Championship, after those of Belgium/Netherlands, for Euro 2000, and Austria/Switzerland for Euro 2008.

The Future

The main concerns during the recent disappointing years were lack of infrastructure, poor youth development, and old and ineffective coaching and training styles. In addition, there was a significant problem with corruption within Polish football. However, many Polish fans have an optimistic view of the future for Polish football. Only time will tell if Polish football will continue in its valley, or whether it will return to the golden era it once enjoyed.

posted by Chris Kwiatkowski top

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