What happened to Pawel Wojciechowski?

Not that too long ago, 21-year old striker Pawel Wojciechowski was making some noise in Holland.

Back in 2008, at the age of 17, Wojciechowski joined Dutch side Heerenveen. Six months after joining, Wojciechowski made his debut and scored a goal against AZ Alkmaar. In 9 appearances for Heerenveen,   Wojciechowski scored twice.

In July 2010, he joined Willem II on a free transfer, signing a two-year contract. However, Wojciechowski suffered a season-ending knee injury, which required surgery.

Wojciechowski returned for the 2011-2012 season and made four appearances, recording one assist for Willem II in the second division.  However, the striker suffered another injury. This time, Wojciechowski hurt his groin and underwent Sports Hernia surgery.

"After I retunred from the knee injury, my doctors found a groin injury. I underwent surgery on sports hernia on Friday. I hope to return to the field as soon as possible and of course get my chance at the Polish national team," Wojciechowski told PolandSoccerBlog.

Wojciechowski's first goal:

Grosicki's goal vs. Besiktas

On Sunday, Kamil Grosicki scored his third goal of the season in Sivasspor's 3-1 loss to Besiktas.

Report: Liverpool eyes Lewandowski

English powerhouse Liverpool has summited a winter bid for Polish national team striker Robert Lewandowski, according to German media.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish looks to add another striker to help out Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll. The English club would have to spend 8 million pounds for the Polish striker.

Lewandowski has scored 7 goals in 11 Bundesliga appearances this season and has 11 goals in 16 appearances in all of the competitions.. 

Peszko scores first goal of the season

Slawomir Peszko scored his first goal of the Bundesliga season in Koln's 3-0 win over Augsburg.

Peszko, who played the full match, scored in the 56th minute, giving Koln a comfortable 3-0 lead. It was also Peszko's first career Bundesliga goal.

Adam Matuszczyk came off the bench in the 66th minute.

Here is Peszko's goal:

Piszczek scores in Borussia's draw

Lukasz Piszczek scored his second goal of the season in Borussia Dortmund's 1-1 draw with Stuttgart.

Piszczek, who played 90 minutes, scored in the 45th minute, tying the match at 1-1.

Robert Lewandowski started and played 72 minutes, while Jakub Blaszczykowski did not dress for the match.

Here is Piszczek's goal:

Boenisch returns to practice

Poland national team defender Sebastian Boenisch has returned to full-time practice and took part in Weder Bremen's practice session on Thursday.

After 13 months, two surgeries and long days in rehabilitation, Boenisch took the practice field for the first time since injuring his right knee.

According to Boenisch's doctor, the Polish international may return to action mid-December but Boenisch himself has decided to postpone his return. The 25-year old left back will return to action when the German Bunsesliga returns from its winter break.

Slask open new stadim with a win

Slask Wroclaw opened their new stadium in style and with a sold-out crowd.

With exactly 42,771 people in attendance, which broke the Ekstraklasa record, Slask Wroclaw defeated Lechia Gdansk 1-0 at the new Stadion Miejski in Wroclaw.

The first goal at the new Slask stadium was scored by Johan Voskamp in the 50th minute.

Slask: Rafal Gikiewicz - Piotr Celeban, Marek Wasiluk, Jaroslaw Fojut, Mariusz Pawelec - Waldemar Sobota (88. Tadeusz Socha), Rok Elsner, Sebastian Mila, Sebastian Dudek, Lukasz Madej (73. Przemyslaw Kazmierczak) - Johan Voskamp (79. Cristian Omar Diaz).

Lechia: Wojciech Pawlowski - Rafal Janicki, Sergejs Kozans, Luka Vucko, Vytautas Andriuskevicius - Abdou Traore, Marcin Pietrowski, Lukasz Surma, Pawel Nowak (62. Piotr Wisniewski), Lewon Hajrapetjan (88. Kamil Pozniak) - Fred Benson (75. Josip Tadic).

Slask 1-0 Lechia

Smuda releases roster for November friendlies

Frank Smuda has released the roster for the Polish national team's upcoming friendlies against Italy and Hungary.

Smuda has decided to go with the game squad as for the October friendlies expect for Wojeoch Szczesny, who has replaced Grzegorz Sandomierski.

Here's the rest of the 22-man roster:

Goalkeepers: Wojciech Szczesny, Lukasz Fabianski

Defenders: Marcin Wasilewski, Marcin Komorowski, Damien Perquis, Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Wawrzyniak, Grzegorz Wojtkowiak, Tomasz Jodlowiec, Arkadiusz Glowacki

Midfielders: Ludovic Obraniak, Eugen Polanski, Dariusz Dudka, Jakub Blaszczykowski, Adam Matuszczyk, Slawomir Peszko, Adrian Mierzejewski, Rafal Murawski, Maciej Rybus, Janusz Gol

Forwards: Robert Lewandowski, Pawel Brozek

What do you think of the roster? Who do you think should/shouldn't have been called in? Who is missing that you were hoping to see called up?

Smuda to announce call ups on Thursday

Poland national team head coach Frank Smuda will announce his call ups for the November friendlies on Thursday, announced PZPN spokesperson Agnieszka Olejkowska.

Stay tuned to PolandSoccerBlog for all updates about the call ups. Poland play Italy on November 11th and Hungary four days later.

Do you see any suprsing call ups by Smuda? What are your predictions for the call ups?

Jelen scores in French Cup win

Ireneusz Jelen scored a goal in Lille's 3-1 win over second division side Sedan in the Round of 16 of the French Cup.

Jelen's goal, which fell in the 70th minute, gave Lille a 3-0 lead. It was Jelen's second goal in a Lille jersey. Just like Jelen, Ludovic Obraniak played the full 90 minutes.

In other French Cup action, Damien Perquis with Sochaux lost 2-1 to Nice and were eliminated from the tournament. The Polish defender played 90 minutes. Auxerre without Dariusz Dudka were also knocked out after a 2-1 loss to Caen. The Polish defender did not dress for the match.

Here is Jelen's goal:

Peszko's assist in cup loss

Slawomir Peszko recorded an assist in FC Koln's 2-1 loss to Hoffenheim in the second round of the German Cup. Peszko played 89 minutes, while Adam Matuszczyk came off the bench in the 80th minute.

Here is Peszko's assist:

Lewandowski scores in Borussia's cup win

Robert Lewandowski scored in Borussia Dortmund's 2-0 win over Dynamo Dresden in the second round of the German Cup.

Lewandowski's goal fell in the 30th minute, giving Borussia a 1-0 lead. The striker played 90 minutes.

It was Lewandowski's 11th goal in 15 games in all competitions this season and his third in two games after he scored twice in the 5-0 hammering of Koln last Saturday.

Lukasz Piszczek played the full 90 minutes, while Jakub Blaszczykowski came off the bench in the 89th minute.

Here is Lewandowski's goal:

Mrowiec disappointed by not getting a chance at Polish NT

Hearts' midfielder Adrian Mrowiec has expressed his disappointment that he has been completely ignored by Frank Smuda and the Polish national team ahead of next summer’s Euro 2012.

The former under-21 internationalist believed his form would attract the interest of Frank Smuda.

"A couple of weeks ago I heard Smuda has his squad completed, and that he has a group of 25 players and he won't pick any outside of that," said Mrowiec. "It is disappointing, of course, everyone wants to play for their national team. I though playing in Scotland, I would have a better chance of playing for the national team than if I was back in Poland."

The 27-year old left FBK Kaunas and joined Hearts on loan during the 2008–2009 season. During the 2009-2010 season, Mrowiec joined Arka Gdynia on loan. After his loan spell ended, Mrowiec joined Hearts on a permit transfer.

"I hoped someone would come and watch me. But no one has come and no one has called me. I haven't had a phone call from the federation which I don't understand because the Scottish league is better than the Polish league – we play against teams like Rangers and Celtic," adds Mrowiec.

"No one is interested in coming to watch me. They haven't even asked for any DVDs of me. Of course, I’d like a chance and it’s upsetting that they’ve never given me it," finished up Mrowiec.

What do you think? Does Mrowiec deserve a chance?  

Grosicki scores in Sivasspor's blowout

Kamil Grosicki scored his second goal of the season from the penlaty kick spot in Sivasspor's 6-2 loss to Kayserispor.

Majewski nets game-winner for Nottingham Forest

Radoslaw Majewski scored the game-winning goal in Nottingham Forest's 2-1 win over Blackpool on Saturday.

Mjaewski, who started and played 90 minutes, scored the game-winner in the 75th minute of a half-volley. It was Majewski's second goal of the Championship season.

After 13 matches, Nottingham sits 19th in the Championship standings with 14 points.

Here is Majewski's game-winner:

Lewandowski stays hot, scores twice for Borussia

Robert Lewnadowski scored his sixth and seventh goals of the season on Saturday in Borussia Dortmund's 5-0 rout over FC Koln.

Lewandowski remains on fire, scoring 8 goals in his last 6 games, including the national team. Lewandowski, who took seven shots on goal, played the full 90 minutes against Koln.

Jakub Blaszczykowski, who came on at halftime, recorded an assist to Sebastian Kehl's goal, giving Borussia a 5-0 lead. Lukasz Piszczek played the full 90 minutes.

On the other side, Slawomir Peszko started and played 45 minutes, while Adam Matuszczyk also started, playing the full match and also received a yellow card.

Here are Lewandowski's two goals:




Blaszczykowski's assist:

Poland U-17s advance to Elite round of European U-17 Qualifications

After a 2-0 win over Montenegro on Saturday, the Polish U-17 national team have qualified for the Elite round of the 2012 European Under-17 Championship Qualifications. 

Poland is in Group 11 with Spain, Montenegro and Malta.

Poland began their Group 11 campaign with a 3-0 win over Malta on October 19th. After a 2-0 win today, Poland qualified for the elite round with six points. Spain leads the group with also six points but has a better goal difference than Poland.

Poland and Spain play each other for the top-spot in Group 11 on October 24th. Both teams have already qualified for the elite round.

Perquis launches legal action for name-calling

Poland national team defender Damien Perquis is ready to launch legal action against former national team goalkeeper Jan Tomaszewski for calling him "French trash".

Perquis, who made his debut against Germany last month, wants an apology for Tomaszewski's after saying that Perquis does not deserves to wear a Polish national team jersey.

"Tomaszewski clearly damaged the good name of Damien Perquis," said the player's lawyer Marcin Wojcieszak.

The 63-year old Tomaszewski is a fierce opponent of picking foreign players with Polish roots.

"How can he pull on the White Eagle shirt, the one in which we true Poles won honors. A piece of French trash, of footballing trash, who never made his mark at home," said Tomaszewski.

Recently, Tomaszewski won a parliamentary seat for the conservative opposition Law and Justice party.

Radovic seals three points for Legia

Miroslav Radovic nailed his second goal of the group stage to give Legia Warszawa three points and a 1-0 win over Rapid Bucuresti.

Legia came into the match as the underdogs but dominated most of the match. The match went went into halftime scoreless, with both teams having decent chances to score.

In the 72nd minute, the scoreless draw was finally broken when Miroslav Radovic scored off a Maciej Rybus cross.

With the three points, Legia moved into second place with six points,. They return to action on November 3rd, when Rapid Bucuresti comes to Poland's capital.

Rapid: Danut Coman - Rui Duarte, Marcos Antonio, Ovidiu Burca, Dan Alexa - Ciprian Deac, Nicolae Grigore (81. Sabrin Sburlea), Ovidiu Herea (88. Cassio), Vladimir Bozovic, Mihai Roman (27. Felipe Teixeira) - Daniel Pancu

Legia: Dusan Kuciak - Artur Jedrzejczyk, Michal Zewlakow, Marcin Komorowski, Jakub Wawrzyniak (81. Jakub Rzezniczak) - Ariel Borysiuk, Ivica Vrdoljak, Janusz Gol (63. Manu), Maciej Rybus (90. Michal Zyro), Miroslav Radovic - Danijel Ljuboja

Radovic's Goal:

Wisla take three points away from Fulham

Wisla Krakow collected their first three points in the Europa League group phase thanks to a 1-0 win over English side Fulham.

From the 29th minute, Fulham were forced to play with 10-men as Moussa Dembele saw a red card for punshing Nunez.

In the 60th minute, Wisla broke the scoreless draw as Dudu Biton's shoot from outside the penlaty kick found the back of the net.

In the 87th minute, Osman Chavez saw another yellow card, which meant a red card and Wisla were forced to play with 10-men.

With the win, Wisla still sit in last play with three points. On November 3rd, they travel to England to take on the same Fulham side.

Wisla: Sergei Pareiko - Michael Lamey, Osman Chavez, Kew Jaliens, Junior Diaz - Gervasio Nunez, Cezary Wilk - Ivica Iliev (86. Rafal Boguski), Lukasz Gargula (80. Daniel Brud), Andraz Kirm (90. Michal Czekaj) - Dudu Biton.

Fulham: Mark Schwarzer - Stephan Kelly, Brede Hangeland, Aaron Hughes, Matthew Briggs - Damien Duff, Marcel Gecov (75. Steve Sidwell), Dickson Etuhu (87. Kerim Frei), Moussa Dembele Orlando Sa (59. Pajtim Kasami) - Andy Johnson.

Biton's goal:

Wisla Krakow vs. Fulham Preview

Wisla Krakow are still looking for the first points in the standings as they welcome English side Fulham to Krakow.

Wisla have lost both of their UEFA League matches in convincing fashion – losing 3-1 to Odense at home while falling 4-1 to FC Twente away. Its a must-win match for Wisla if they want to compete in the group.

The injury bug has hit Wisla Krakow once again. The team will be without Maor Melikson, Patryk Malecki, Radoslaw Sobolewski, Marko Jovanovic and Gordan Bunoza.

On the other, the visitors will be without striker Bobby Zamora and midfielders Danny Murphy and Clint Dempsey. Zamora and Dempsey have both been rested, while Murphy has a knee injury.

"Clint's played a lot of games recently, including internationals. I want Bobby fit and focused on the Everton game," said Fulham boss Martin Jol.

Fulham sit second in Group K standings with 4 points after drawing 1-1 with Twente and beating Odense 2-0.

What do you think will be the final score?

Lewandowski scores Champions League goal

Robert Lewandowski has scored his first Champions League goal this season in a 3-1 loss to Olympiakos on Wednesday.

Lewandowski had a goal disallowed in the 14th minute but leveled the score with a powerful shot in the 26th minute.Lewandowski played the full 90 minutes.

Lukasz Piszczek also played the full 90 minutes while Jakub Blaszczykowski came on in the 66th minute.

Here's Lewandowski's goal:

Poland moves up to 64th in FIFA rankings

The Polish national team has moved up to the 64th spot in the latest FIFA rankings, which were announced today.

After a 2-2 draw against South Korea and a 2-0 win over Belarus, Poland advanced one spot up after sitting in the 65th spot for the last two months.

Poland's next rival Italy sits in the 6th spot while Hungary dropped 9 spots and currently sit 36th.

Poland to play Hungary, not Russia in November friendly

The Polish national team will play Hungary on November 15th, not Russia as first planned.

The match will take on at the Stadion Miejski in Poznan. It will be the first time Poland play in Poznan, since beating Ivory Coast 3-0 last November.

Four days earlier, Poland will play Italy in Wroclaw.

Poland and Hungary have played a record 30 times with Hungary taking it 20 times, four draws and 6 wins for Poland. The last time both sides met was in 2007, when Hungary won 1-0.

Wasilewski scores from penalty kick spot

Polish national team defender Marcin Wasilewski scored his first goal of the season from the penalty kick spot in Anderlecht's 5-0 rout over Standard Liege.

Wasilewski scored in the 83rd minute, giving Anderlecht a comfortable 5-0 lead. The Polish defender played the full 90 minutes and also saw a yellow card.

After 10 matches, Anderlecht sits first in the Jupiler League standings with 23 points.

Here is Wasilewski's goal vs. Standard:

Szczesny's incredible save vs. Sunderland

Augustyn scores in Vicenza win

Blazej Augustyn scored his first career in a Vicenza jersey in a 2-1 win over Hellas Verona on Saturday.

Augustyn's goal fell in the 49th minute, giving Vicenza a 1-0 lead. Augustyn, who played the full 90 minutes helped Vicenza secure their first win of the season. After 10 matches, Vicenza sit 19th in the standings with 7 points.

Here is Augustyn's goal:

(Augustyn's goal is the first highlight in the video)

Brozek scores, Mierzejewski assists in Trabzonspor win

Pawel Brozek scored his first goal of the Turkish season in Trabzonspor's 3-2 win over Ankaragucu on Friday, and he did that so with an assist from Adrian Mierzejewski.

The Polish duo combined for the goal in the 38th minute, tying the match up at 1-1.

Pawel Brozek started and played 60 minutes. Adrian Mierzejewski also started but lasted longer on the field, playing 85 minutes. Piotr Brozek and Arkadiusz Glowacki both missed the match due to injuries.

After six matches, Trabzonspor sits 2nd in the Superlig standings with 11 points.

Brozek's goal, Mierzejewski's assist: 

Fabianski ready to leave Arsenal

Another member of the Polish national team is threatening to leave his current club in order to find more playing time minutes.

Lukasz Fabianski is desperate to impress Frank Smuda ahead of Euro 2012, but has been unable to unseat his compatriot Wojciech Szczesny so far this season.

"If my situation doesn't change I'll consider asking for a move," said Fabianski.

Fabianski has featured just once for Arsenal this season, stepping in for the Gunners' 3-1 victory against League Two side Shrewsbury Town in the League Cup. 

"If I want to go to Euro 2012, the only way I can persuade the coach to take me is by playing well on a regular basis," added Fabianski.

U-21: Poland 4, Albania 3: Goal Highlights

Blaszczykowski threats to leave Borussia Dortmund

Poland national team captain Jakub Blaszczykowski has admitted his frustration with his current situation at Borussia Dortmund, and made it clear that he could leave the club if does not get more playing time.

"I am not satisfied with the way I'm being used at the moment. I get upset when I don't play," said Blaszczykowski.

Blaszczykowski has mainly been warming the bench at Dortmund while hes been red-hot for the Polish national team.

"Let's just wait and see how things develop before December. Some things could change over time. When I don't get the chance to prove my worth, I might have to look elsewhere to get playing time," adds Kuba.

Some reports suggest that Wisla Krakow may want to loan out their former winger from Borussia Dortmund during the winter transfer window.

Blaszczykowski joined Borussia from Wisla Krakow in the summer of 2007 and has since made over 100 Bundesliga appearances. He has a contract with the Dortmund club until the summer of 2013.

U-20: Poland suffer another loss in U-20 FNT

The Polish U-19 national team suffered another loss in the Under-20 Four Nations Tournaments and are still without a point in the standings.

This time, Poland suffered a 3-1 loss to Italy U-20. Poland's only goal was scored by Michal Zyro in the 14th minute, which gave Poland a 1-0 lead.

After four matches, Poland sits last in the standings without a point. Poland's next opponent will be Germany on November 12th.

Poland: Jakub Szumski - Mateusz Slodowy, Piotr Mrozinski, Marcin Kaminski, Mariusz Mikoda - Rafal Wolski (84 Konrad Gilewicz), Damian Dabrowski (77 Mateusz Szczepaniak), Pawel Lisowski, Tomasz Holota (46 Wojciech Golla), Leszek Nowosielski (86 Dominik Furman) - Michal Zyro.

Poland 2, Belarus 0: Goal Highlights

Poland 1-0 (Jakub Blaszczykowski)


Poland 2-0 (Robert Lewandowski)

Poland 2, Belarus 0: Player Ratings

The Polish national team defeated Belarus 2-0 in a much deserved win. The Borussia Dortmund duo once again gave Poland a chance to win. Here are the player ratings:

(Scale 1-10; with 10 being the best)

Lukasz Fabianski (5). Not much work as Belarus turned out to be a  weak opponent and did not seriously threatened to attack Poland's net.

Lukasz Piszczek (6). Steady once again on the right side, providing some service getting forward and strong defending.

Marcin Wasilewski (6). His debut as a center-back for the Polish national team turned out to be successful, expect for the fact that Poland played a weak rival and that Belarus didn't put too much pressure on Wasilewski.

Damien Perquis (7). A much improved game than against South Korea. Dint commit any mistakes in defense and was very dangerous in attack on set piece.

Jakub Wawrzyniak (5). Started the match off weak with inaccurate passes. As the game progressed, he settled in and become more comfortable. Gave Peszko the pass which led to Poland's second goal.  

Eugen Polanski (5). Not a strong performance. Had some trouble in the center part of the midfield. Assisted on Blaszczykowski's goal.

Rafal Murawski (6). A much better performance then Polanski. Controlled the middle for Poland and was much more visible in attack. Block couple runs by Belarus.

Jakub Blaszczykowski (8). Once again Poland's best player on the field. Maintained the ball without a problem and by created goal-chances by himself. Scored Poland's first goal.

Adrian Mierzejewski (5). Was active and tried many different positions to help Poland in attack but also lost couple key balls. Missed a gorgeous chance in the first half.

Slawomir Peszko (5). Was very active and tried too much to score a goal. Made many runs with the ball but his finishing is still up in the air. Assisted on Lewandowski's goal.

Pawel Brozek (3). Was completely invisible for the most part in which he played. When he finally got a chance to do something with the ball, he completely wasted it and thats why the fans from the stands called for Lewandowski to come in.

SUBS

Robert Lewandowski (7). When he came in for Brozek, you could see a difference in Poland's attack. Much more comfortable on the ball and inside the penalty box. Scored a goal but could have scored more. 

Maciej Rybus (4). Came in and had thirty minutes to show Smuda something but was completely inaccurate. Tried to dribble the ball more but lost on each possession. 

Dariusz Dudka, Tomasz Jodlowiec and Janusz Gol played too short to be rated.

Poland dominates Belarus, wins 2-0

The Polish national team returned to winning ways after dominating Belarus in a 2-0 win on Tuesday night.

Jakub Blaszczykowski scored in the 31st minute, giving Poland a 1-0 lead after a cross from Eugen Polanski, which settled inside the penalty kick and Blaszczykowski finished it off after a short scramble.

Poland dominated in the first half, creating many chances but failing to score more goals.

In the second half, Poland continued their domination. In the 60th minute, Frank Smuda decided to bring in Robert Lewandowski for Pawel Brozek. Ten minutes later, Lewandowski finished off a great play which was crossed in by Slawomir Peszko from the left-hand side, giving Poland a 2-0 lead.

After three straight draws, Poland return to winning ways and stay unbeaten in their last five games.

Poland: Lukasz Fabianski - Lukasz Piszczek, Marcin Wasilewski, Damien Perquis (79. Dariusz Dudka), Jakub Wawrzyniak, Jakub Blaszczykowski, Eugen Polanski, Rafal Murawski (72. Tomasz Jodlowiec), Adrian Mierzejewski (60. Maciej Rybus), Slawomir Peszko (87. Janusz Gol) - Pawel Brozek (59. Robert Lewandowski)

Belarus: Yuri Zhevnov (46, Syarhey Vyeramko) - Igor Shitov (46, Andrey Varankow), Alyaksandr Martynovich, Dmitry Verkhovtsov (46, Pavel Plaskonny), Vitali Trubila - Syarhey Kislyak, Siarhiej Amieljanczuk, Alyaksandr Kulchiy, Filip Rudzik (88, Sergey Krivets), Timofei Kalachev (88, Alyaksandr Bychanok) - Sergei Kornilenko (80, Maksim Bardachov).

What did you guys think about the match? Who was the man of the match?

U-21: Poland defeat Albania 4-3 in a thriller

Poland U-21's kept their qualification campaign on course with their second Group 6 victory thanks to a dramatic added-time winner by Arkadiusz Wozniak.

Poland took a 1-0 lead into halftime thanks to Grzegorz Krychowiak's 34th minute penalty kick goal. In the 54th minute, Poland jumped ahead by two goals after Matusz Klich buried home a easy tap-in. A minute later, Albania cut Poland's lead into half after Armando Sadiku's goal.

Artur Sobiech gave Poland a 3-1 lead in the 64th minute but Albania cut the lead in halftime once again, thanks to Bekim Bala's 81st minute strike.

In the 89th minute, Albania tied the match up at 3-3 when Armando Sadiku scored his second of the night. However, in the 93rd minute, Arkadiusz Wozniak scored to give Poland a 4-3 lead in a thriller.

Both sides ended the match with 10 men as Kamil Drygas received his second yellow card in the 89th minute and Arsen Sykaj received a red card in the 90th minute.

After four matches, Poland sit second in Group 6 with seven points. Poland's next opponent will be Moldova on November 14th.

Poland: Lukasz Skorupski - Pawel Olkowski (67. Milosz Przybecki), Grzegorz Krychowiak, Piotr Malarczyk, Damian Aldas - Tomasz Kupisz, Lukasz Tyminski (46. Kamil Drygas), Ariel Borysiuk, Mateusz Klich (84. Pawel Wszolek), Arkadiusz Wozniak - Artur Sobiech

Albania: Stivi Frasheri - Alis Baci, Roland Peqini, Imran Bunjaku, Mergim Brahimi (85. Albi Dosti), Bekim Bala, Erjon Vucaj (74. Bruno Telushi), Armando Sadiku, Armando Vajushi, Arsen Sykaj, Orges Gava

Smuda ready to test Wasilewski as center-back

Poland national team head coach Frank Smuda continues to complain about the lack of skills his defenders show during games. Smuda repeats over and over that Poland's weakest position is the defense .

Smuda will try Marcin Wasilewski in the center-back position for the first time on Tuesday. He'll play alongside Damien Perqius.

"Wasilewski is an alternative and I will try him out as a center-back on Tuesday. Belarus isn't a easy opponent and maybe for the first time, we will finally see a good pair of stoppers. The defense is our biggest problem," said Smuda.

Wasilewski has already played as a central defender for Anderlecht this season but has never tried that position for the Polish national team.

How do you think Wasilewski will fared on Tuesday?

Who should Smuda start vs. Belarus?

Coming off a 2-2 draw against South Korea, the Polish national team will be looking to get back into winning ways on Tuesday against Belarus.

The projected lineup will most likely be Poland's starting lineup on Tuesday.

PROJECTED Polish NT lineup vs. Belarus:

 -----------------------Brozek-----------------------

 Peszko-----------Mierzejewski----------Blaszczykowski

 --------------Polanski----------Murawski--------------

Wawrzyniak-----Perquis-------Wasilewski-----Piszczek

-------------------------Fabianski-----------------------

Pawel Brozek will replace Robert Lewandowski as the lone striker up top. No reason to be worried about Lewandowski's position as the starter but Smuda just wants to tryout Brozek from the first minute.

After a poor apperance against South Korea, Maciej Rybus is dropped from the starting lineup and he'll be replaced by Slawomir Peszko on the left wing. Adrian Mierzejewski returns to the starting lineup and he replaces Rafal Murawski, who drops from the attacking midfield position to defensive midfield.

Smuda will also try a new lineup in the back-line. Lukasz Piszczek returns to right back, while Marcin Wasilewski is shifted to the center-back position.

Lukasz Fabianski should remain between the pipes for Poland.

Smuda looking to make changes

Frank Smuda is looking to make some surprising changes in Poland's starting lineup against Belarus.

The Polish national team held their second training session of the day. Grzegorz Sandomierski and Lukasz Fabianski were the first two to arrive at the practice field with goalkeeping coach Jacek Kazimierski. Sandomierski will replace Fabianski in Poland's goal on Tuesday.

The practice ended with a scrimmage and the players who wore the yellow pinnies will probably start on Tuesday.

Piszczek will start at right-back with Wasilewski moving to the center-back position. Komorowski will start at left-back, replacing Wawrzyniak. Mierzejewski and Peszko will start in the midfield, replacing Rybus and Dudka. Pawel Brozek will replace Lewandowski as the lone striker.

Probable starting lineup vs. Belarus 
Grzegorz Sandomierski - Lukasz Piszczek, Marcin Wasilewski, Damien Perquis, Marcin Komorowski - Jakub Blaszczykowski, Eugen Polanski, Rafal Murawski, Adrian Mierzejewski, Slawomir Peszko - Pawel Brozek.

Poland NT Practice Report (Sunday)

The Polish national team held their first training session in Germany on Sunday morning.

The practice was short as Frank Smuda wanted to speak to the player rather than have them do anything. Five player did not take part in the session. Robert Lewandowski, Jakub Blaszczykowski, Dariusz Dudka, Pawel Brozek and Damien Perquis took part in a commercial shooting for Nike.

However, Lukasz Piszczek, who was injured for the South Korea match, practiced on Sunday and will play against Belarus. Eugen Polanski and Damien Perquis, both complained about light injuries after the South Korea game are set to play against Belarus.

After dinner, the whole Polish national team traveled to Frankfurter to vote in the Polish parliamentary election. Smuda will hold another training session on Sunday at 5 pm local time.

Poland 2, South Korea 2: Goal Highlights

Poland 1-0


South Korea 1-1


South Korea 1-2


Poland 2-2

Late Kuba goal salvages 2-2 draw for Poland against South Korea

A Jakub Blaszczykowski goal in the 86th minute was decisive as Poland were able to salvage a 2-2 draw against South Korea.

Poland took the lead in the 30th minute when Jakub Blaszczykowski fired in an long-range shot which hit the crossbar which bounded to Robert Lewandowski who headed home from close range.

In the 65th minute, Park Chu-young equalized for South Korea when debutant Seo Jung-jin pulled the ball back from the byline for ark to blast home from close range.

Ten minutes later, South Korea took the lead when one again Park Chu-young scored after a one-on-one with Lukasz Fabianski.

However, in the 86th minute, Blaszczykowski tied the match up at 2-a-piece after a mistake from a Korean defender which led to a breakaway for Kuba.

South Korea: Jung Sung-ryong - Lee Jae-seong, Kwak Tae-hwi, Hong Jeong-ho (80. Cho Byung-kuk), Hong Chul (88. Choi Hyo-jin) - Ji Dong-won, Ki Sung-yong (58. Koo Ja-cheol), Yoon Bit-garam (46. Lee Yong-rae), Nam Tae-hee (58. Seo Jung-jin), Park Chu-young (81. Lee Keun-ho) - Lee Dong-gook (46. Son Heung-min).

Poland: Lukasz Fabianski - Marcin Wasilewski, Grzegorz Wojtkowiak, Damien Perquis, Jakub Wawrzyniak - Jakub Blaszczykowski (86. Marcin Komorowski), Dariusz Dudka (79. Slawomir Peszko), Eugen Polanski (63. Adam Matuszczyk), Rafal Murawski (90. Tomasz Jodlowiec), Maciej Rybus (71. Adrian Mierzejewski) - Robert Lewandowski (68. Pawel Brozek).

Smuda releases starting lineup

Frank Smuda has released Poland's starting lineup vs. South Korea.

Fabianski – Wasilewski, Perquis, Wojtkowiak, Wawrzyniak – Blaszczykowski, Polanski, Murawski, Dudka, Rybus – Lewandowski

Game-time is set for 7 am est.

Poland NT Practice Report (Day 2)

The Polish national team held their second practice session since arriving in South Korea on Thursday, but now under the guidances of Frank Smuda.

Poland's training session began at 6 pm est local time at the World Cup Stadium, where Poland will play South Korea on Friday.

The practice was intense according to Tomasz Rzasa. The team played a little scrimmage where Forwards coach Tomasz Frankowski had to take part to even the teams up.

Just like yesterday, no one mentioned anything about an injury. Rasza also mentioned that about 40,000 people will attended Friday's match between Poland and South Korea.

Poland U-21s draw 1-1 with Portugal

Playing with 10-men since halftime, the Polish U-21 national team still managed to draw 1-1 with Portugal in the 2013 Euro Under-21 qualifications.

The Poles went down a goal in the 9th minute, when Pedro Mendes managed to head the ball past Filip Kurto of a free-kick. However, in the 36th minute, Poland pulled themselves back, thanks to Michal Kucharczyk's blasted from just inside the penalty box.

Just before halftime, Poland were forced to play with 10-men after goalkeeper Filip Kurto pulled down Eduardo  inside the penalty kick, which resulted in a red card for Kurto and a PK for Portugal. However, back-up keeper Lukasz Skorupski managed to save the penalty kick.

Portugal: Mika - Cedric Soares, Pedro Mendes, Joao Pereira, Mario Rui - Andre Martins (77. David Simao), Andre Almeida, Sana, Josue Pesqueira, Rui Fonte - Wilson Eduardo (77. Diogo Viana)

Poland: Filip Kurto - Pawel Olkowski, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Piotr Malarczyk, Pawel Oleksy - Tomasz Kupisz, Lukasz Tyminski, Ariel Borysiuk, Mateusz Klich (71. Kamil Drygas), Michal Kucharczyk (45. Lukasz Skorupski) - Artur Sobiech (77. Pawel Wszolek)

Portugal 1-0


Poland 1-1


Kurto Red Card

Polish NT begins training camp

Poland NT Practice Report (Day 1)

The Polish national team held their first training session on Wednesday, as they prepare for Friday's friendly against South Korea.

The practice lasted an hour and was led by assistant coach Jacek Zielinski. The warm-ups were led by Adam Rotchstein and Remigiusz Rzepka. Then the team did some drills with the ball and some without the ball. At the end, the whole team played handball.

The team practiced by their hotel with everyone taking part in the session. After practice, the team relaxed after a long flight from Germany.

On Thursday, the Polish national team have an official training session booked for 6 pm local time. The session will be led by head coach Frank Smuda.

The Building Process of National Stadium

Lewandowski named into European Team of the Week

Polish national team striker Robert Lewandowski has been named into the European Team of the Week by French magazine "L'Equipe".

Lewandowski scored three goals and added an assist in Borussia Dortmund's 4-0 win over FC Augsburg on Saturday.

Lewandowski was also picked by Goal.com to the Bundesliga Team of the Week and received a rating of 1/6 (world-class) from Kicker.

"I have never scored a hat-trick before. This is special, not only because it is my first, but also because I did it in the Bundesliga, and especially after the disappointment of Marseille. I hope it was a breakthrough game which showed us, and everybody, that we are still a very strong side and are back on the right path." said Lewandowski.

European Team of the Week by  "L'Equipe":  
Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich) - Khalid Boulahrouz (VfB Stuttgart), Hugo Campagnaro (Napoli), Sergio Ballesteros (Levante), Jose Enrique (Liverpool) - Javier Pastore (Paris Saint-Germain), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus) - Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid), Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund).

Salamon nets late equalizer in Serie B action

Bartosz Salamon scored his first goal of the Serie B campaign on Wednesday, netting a late equalizer to give Brescia a 2-2 draw with Gubbio.

Salamon found the back of the net in the 89th minute of the match. His club was down 2-1 in the dieing moments of the match. Salamon, who played the full 90 minutes, nailed his first of the season.

After 8 matches, Brescia sit three in the standings with 16 points.

In other Serie B action, Kamil Glik played 90 minutes in Torino's 1-0 win over Grosseto. Blazej Augustyn also played 90 minutes in Vicenza's 2-0 loss to Varese.

Szczesny eyeing the Nou Camp

After some murmuring that Barcelona scouts are observing Wojciech Szczesny as a future addition to Pep's Wonder team. The Poland and Arsenal goalkeeper admits he would not rule out a move away from Emirates Stadium, particularly he mentioned, to Barcelona.

I think everyone would agree that seeing a Polish player at Barca would be great. But as an Arsenal fan, I can't help but think that Szczesny staying in London would give him get a hell of a lot more practice (awful defense) and many more highlight reels.

Who should Smuda start vs. South Korea?

The Polish national team have taken the lengthy journey to Seoul for Friday's friendly against South Korea, not giving the team much time to prepare for the match.

With the injury-bug hitting the Polish national team and a grueling travel schedule, it makes everyone wonder how the Polish national team will perform on Friday.

PROJECTED Polish NT lineup vs. South Korea

---------------------Lewandowski-----------------------

-----Peszko---------Mierzejewski--------Blaszczykowski

--------------Polandski----------Murawski--------------

Wawrzyniak----Jodlowiec-------Perquis-----Wasilewski

-------------------------Fabianski-----------------------

Here are some thoughts:

Frank Smuda will be without some keys players. Lukasz Fabianski will replace Wojciech Szczesny in goal as Szczesny suffered a back injury during Arsenal's last league game. Fabianski was suppose to start in the Belarus game.

Lukasz Piszczek returned to the national team but then withdrew due to injury. Marcin Wasilewski should and most likely will get another shot at right back. Another injury that hit the Polish defense was Arkadiusz Glowacki. Jodlowiec should return to the starting lineup and pair-up with Damien Perquis. Jakub Wawrzyniak, who was heavily criticized after Poland's 2-2 draw with Germany should get the left-back position.

The injury-bug also hit Poland's midfield. Ludovic Obraniak will miss both friendlies due to injury. Couple of candidates to replace the Lille winger.Slawomir Peszko is the favorite but Smuda can also go with Maciej Rybus or even drop Pawel Brozek to the left winger spot, meaning Poland won't have any more available strikers.

What do you think of the projected starting lineup?

Polish NT head off for Korea without Smuda and five other

The Polish national team left Frankfurt Airport for Seoul on Tuesday without head coach Frank Smuda, captain Jakub Blaszczykowski, Pawel Brozek, Tomasz Rzasa, and the teams doctor and masseur.

Smuda with the five other Poles had their flight canceled from Krakow to Frankfurt on Tuesday morning. They all will leave for Seoul on Wednesday.

Poland's first training session will take place on Wednesday without Smuda, Blaszczykowski and Brozek. The training will be led by Smuda's assistant Jacek Zielinski.

Poland play South Korea on Friday at 7 am est.

Piszczek, Szczesny, Obraniak dropped from Poland squad

Wojciech Szczesny, Lukasz Piszczek and Ludovic Obraniak have been dropped from Poland's squad for the latest friendlies, against South Korea and Belarus.

Borussia Dortmund defender Lukasz Piszczek will be sidelined with a light injury. He will be replaced by Hubert Wolakiewicz from Lech Poznan.

Grzegorz Sandomierski of Genk had been called up to replace injured Wojciech Szczesny. Szczesny suffered a back injury during Arsenal's 2-1 loss to Tottenham on Sunday.

Ludovic Obraniak was also dropped due to injury. He will be replaced by Legia Warszawa midfielder Janusz Gol.

----------------------
POLAND'S ROSTER FOR SOUTH KOREA, BELARUS
(Bold players are the new additions)

G- Lukasz Fabianski, Grzegorz Sandomierski 

D- Dariusz Dudka, Marcin Wasilewski, Hubert Wolakiewicz, Damien Perquis, Marcin Komorowski, Jakub Wawrzyniak, Tomasz Jodlowiec, Grzegorz Wojtkowiak

M- Adam Matuszczyk, Slawomir Peszko, Eugen Polanski, Jakub Blaszczykowski, Adrian Mierzejewski, Maciej Rybus, Janusz Gol, Rafał Murawski

F- Robert Lewandowski, Pawel Brozek
----------------------

What do you make of the changes?

Thiago Cionek receives Polish citizenship

Jagiellonia Bialystok defender Thiago Cionek has finally received his Polish citizenship and is now eligible to play for the Polish national team.

Cionek's great-grandparents emigrated to Brazil from Poland in the nineteenth centuries. Cionek returned to Poland in 2008, when he joined Jagiellonia Bialystok.

Cionek applied for a Polish passport during Lech Kaczynski's presidency.

"Everything was delayed because of the tragic death of President Lech Kaczynski. I summited all of the documnets long time ago," said Cionek.  

Komorowski replaces Glowacki on Poland roster

Arkadiusz Glowacki was replaced by Legia Warszawa defender Marcin Komorowski on Poland's roster for upcoming friendlies against South Korea and Belarus.

Glowacki picked up an injury in Trabzonspor's 1-1 draw with Lille on Tuesday. He did not play this weekend against Eskisehirspor.

Komorowski has made five league appearances this season plus he scored from the penalty kick spot against Hapoel Tel Aviv on Thursday. He has already made four appearances for the Polish national team. All of his appearances came under Leo Beenhakker. 

Robak's goal vs. Sakaryaspor

Marcin Robak scored his first goal of the new season in Konyaspor's 2-0 win over Sakaryaspor.

(Robak's goal starts at 3:44 in the video)

Lewandowski nets hat-trick in Borussia rout

Robert Lewandowski nailed his first ever Borussia Dortmund hat-trick in a 4-0 rout over FC Augsburg on Saturday.

Three more goals today add up to five total league goals this season for Lewandowski. The former Lech Poznan striker also added an assist to Mario Gotze's goal.

Jakub Blaszczykowski started, played 62 minutes and recorded an assist to Lewandowski's first goal. Lukasz Piszczek played the full 90 minutes.

Lewandowski's first goal (Blaszczykowski's assist):



Lewandowski's second goal:


Lewandowski's third goal:


Lewandowski's assist: