Poland pick up first win
Last Updated: September 11, 2012 10:47pm
Jakub Blaszczykowski: On target for Poland
Poland eased to a 2-0 win over Group H minnows Moldova to make it four points from their opening two World Cup qualifiers.
Having been held 2-2 by Montenegro on Friday, the Poles were determined to get their first win on the board against the team hammered 5-0 by England.
Jakub Blaszczykowski's penalty set them on their way in the 33rd minute and the same player crossed for Jakub Wawrzyniak to finally put the game to bed with nine minutes remaining.
In truth the result was harsh on Moldova, who more than played their part and were unrecognisable from the side outclassed by Roy Hodgson's men.
Alexandr Suvorov's early free-kick was tipped over by Przemyslaw Tyton before Adrian Mierzejewski threatened at the other end.
Igor Picusciac tested Tyton from long range but also got in the way of shots from team-mates Alexandru Gatcan and Suvorov, meaning Poland's opener came against the run of play.
Artur Patras fouled Lukasz Piszczek and Blaszczykowski tucked his penalty into the top left corner.
Patras and Picusciac went close before half-time and Suvorov shot over early in the second half before Piszczek shot wide for Poland.
Gheorghe Ovseanicov was denied by Tyton and Mierzejewski drew a reaction save from Stanislav Namasco at the other end.
Poland began to gain the upper hand but Ariel Borysiuk and Artur Sobiech failed to test Namasco, who then tipped over Robert Lewandowski's effort.
Kamil Glik headed Blaszczykowski's corner wide but Wawrzyniak made no mistake a minute later, beating Namasco with a downward header to double Poland's lead.
Serghei Alexeev's angled drive was Moldova's only response, Tyton saving comfortably.
Tables
FIFA World Cup European Qualifying Group A
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belgium | 7 | 19 |
| 2 | Croatia | 7 | 16 |
| 3 | Serbia | 7 | 7 |
| 4 | Wales | 6 | 6 |
| 5 | Scotland | 7 | 5 |
| 6 | Macedonia | 6 | 4 |
FIFA World Cup European Qualifying Group B
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy | 6 | 14 |
| 2 | Bulgaria | 6 | 10 |
| 3 | Czech Republic | 6 | 9 |
| 4 | Armenia | 6 | 6 |
| 5 | Denmark | 6 | 6 |
| 6 | Malta | 6 | 3 |
FIFA World Cup European Qualifying Group C
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | 6 | 16 |
| 2 | Austria | 6 | 11 |
| 3 | Sweden | 6 | 11 |
| 4 | Republic of Ireland | 6 | 11 |
| 5 | Kazakhstan | 6 | 1 |
| 6 | Faroe Islands | 6 | 0 |
FIFA World Cup European Qualifying Group D
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands | 6 | 18 |
| 2 | Hungary | 6 | 11 |
| 3 | Romania | 6 | 10 |
| 4 | Turkey | 6 | 7 |
| 5 | Estonia | 6 | 6 |
| 6 | Andorra | 6 | 0 |
FIFA World Cup European Qualifying Group E
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Switzerland | 6 | 14 |
| 2 | Albania | 6 | 10 |
| 3 | Iceland | 6 | 9 |
| 4 | Norway | 6 | 8 |
| 5 | Slovenia | 6 | 6 |
| 6 | Cyprus | 6 | 4 |
FIFA World Cup European Qualifying Group F
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portugal | 7 | 14 |
| 2 | Russia | 5 | 12 |
| 3 | Israel | 6 | 11 |
| 4 | Azerbaijan | 7 | 4 |
| 5 | Northern Ireland | 5 | 3 |
| 6 | Luxembourg | 6 | 3 |
FIFA World Cup European Qualifying Group G
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bosnia | 6 | 16 |
| 2 | Greece | 6 | 13 |
| 3 | Slovakia | 6 | 9 |
| 4 | Lithuania | 6 | 5 |
| 5 | Latvia | 6 | 4 |
| 6 | Liechtenstein | 6 | 2 |
FIFA World Cup European Qualifying Group H
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montenegro | 7 | 14 |
| 2 | England | 6 | 12 |
| 3 | Ukraine | 6 | 11 |
| 4 | Poland | 6 | 9 |
| 5 | Moldova | 7 | 5 |
| 6 | San Marino | 6 | 0 |
FIFA World Cup European Qualifying Group I
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain | 5 | 11 |
| 2 | France | 5 | 10 |
| 3 | Finland | 5 | 6 |
| 4 | Georgia | 5 | 4 |
| 5 | Belarus | 6 | 4 |
