Euro 2016: Kuba and Piszczek Help Poland Grind out Result

Dortmund’s Polish warriors, Lukasz Piszczek and Jakub Blaszczykowski started again for Poland against Germany in what was billed as the deciding match for C. The match ended 0-0 ,which is probably more than the Poles deserved on the day. Ultimately, the result makes it very likely we’ll see Dortmund represented in the last 16 of the Euros.

On the day, niether Piszczek nor Kuba were at their best. Piszczek was especially beat with alarming regularity down the stretch as Germany pushed for a winner.

German manager Joachim Low seemed to make a point of overloading the right side. Even so he conceded two of Die Mannschaft best chances on the day. In the 18th minute, Thomas Muller pushed his way past the Dortmund man before cutting back a ball that should have been finished. Then in the 69th minute, Andre Schurrle beat Piszczek for an insightful pass to Mesut Oezil. He hit the ball towards the top right corner that Lukasz Fabianski excellently turned away.

Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images

Kuba was more solid albeit unspectacular. He helped out Piszczek and Torino’s Kamil Glik defensively and made some critical challenges. His 63rd minute challenge to halt an Oezil charge through the middle really stands out. Blaszczykowski was a big part in keeping Arsenal’s attacking midfielder silent for the match.

Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

Offensively, Kuba was a somewhat limited contributor compared to his normal Poland performances. The BVB man played two nice through balls: one squandered in the 12th minute when Robert  Lewandowski wandered offside and the other wasted by Arkadiusz Milik’s horrendous first touch in the 51st minute.

All in all, a mediocre and gritty performance from Die Schwarzgelben’s Polish right side that helped grind out a result. Heja BVB!