Poland were magnificent against the United States, full of free-flowing attacking moves with goals on the cards every time they got the ball forward.
Unfortunately for the Poles, they were already eliminated by the time they played that game.
Poland were in trouble after buckling early on in the white-hot atmosphere of South Korea’s opening match and two defeats later, still looking for a first goal, the only way was up.
That’s how it was against the States.
Released of the pressure, Poland suddenly showed they could play a bit and how galling it must have been for them that the team they were outclassing went all the way to the quarter-finals.
It was a surprise to see Jerzy Dudek concede some soft goals, but Poland’s failure was a collective one and he shouldn’t be blamed in isolation.
