Before kick-off Hervé Renard denied that Saudi Arabia’s government had gifted his players a Rolls Royce apiece in recognition of their achievement in beating Argentina. The Green Falcons’ French manager reminded everyone his team had not yet escaped the group stage and, to the considerable dismay of the massed Saudi support congregated in Doha, Robert Lewandowski revelled in reinforcing the point before promptly bursting into tears.
Poland’s record scorer not only finally registered his first World Cup goal but created Piotr Zielinski’s opener as Renard’s initially dominant team missed a penalty and ultimately ran out of steam.
