Poland vs Slovenia

Poland’s national team will be watching next year’s World Cup at home on TV thanks to one of the worst nights in Polish football in many years.

Poland came into this match tonight in Slovenia needing a win to remain in the hunt for a spot in South Africa.

Not only did Poland fail, but they showed how absolutely abysmal the current state of Polish football is in. Surely coach Leo Beenhakker has seeled his fate as ex-coach of the Polish national team.

It’s one thing to lose a match. But it is entirely another matter to come into a big game like this and show no will or desire whatsoever as a team to play, much less win.

The abomination began early with a 13th minute goal by Slovenia and Zlatko Dedic.

Dedic received a beautiful through ball that split the porous Polish defense. It was then only a formality to put the ball past the only player in front of him – Polish keeper Artur Boruc – with a close range shot, as Dedic first timed it into goal under the arms of a falling Boruc.

The most action that came in the first half on the Polish offensive side of the field was in the 36th minute when a spectator threw a fireworks there, burning brightly and halting the game for almost 5 minutes.

The game’s second goal came in the 45th minute on another exploitation of the Polish defense.

Slovenia’s Novakovic latched onto a short cross and easily poked it into an empty goal, as keeper Boruc was completely off his line from a feeble attempt to stop the cross.

Goal number three came in the 63rd minute from Valter Birsa.

Birsa made like a nine iron and neatly chipped the ball into goal over Artur Boruc, who rushed off his line towards Birsa.

It wasn’t until the 69th minute that Poland finally forced Slovenian keeper Handanovic to move a limb.

Poland’s Ebi Smolarek, who was just recently substituted into the game, sent a long range shot that required Handanovic to make a save.

That was about all Poland could muster in this match. It was a sad display that probably should have ended even worse. And most likely brings to an end Poland’s Dutch coaching experiment.