Experienced goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has said that he will not quit smoking despite having gone back on his decision to retire from football to join Barcelona.

With Marc-Andre ter Stegen having suffered a serious knee injury last month, which will keep him out for a long period of time, Szczesny was persuaded to get back into football having left Juventus in August.

But the goalkeeper is of the opinion that what he does off the pitch in his personal life should be of no interest to anyone.

"There are things that I don't change in my personal life," said Szczesny in an interview with Mundo Deportivo.

"It's nobody's business if I smoke. I believe it doesn't affect what I do on the pitch, I work twice as hard."

Szczesny did admit that, while he has no intention of stopping, there are certain boundaries he puts in place.

"I don't do it in front of kids because I don't want to have a bad influence on them," he said.

Despite that, he went on to make it clear that he won't be put off by people trying to catch him out with it.

"Sometimes somebody will take a photo from the trees where I have a cigarette, that's on them, not on me.

"If somebody thinks that I will change the way I am in my personal life they can think again because I am who I am. I've been this way my whole life."

Barcelona's new goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny will not make his debut against Alaves on Sunday and will instead have to wait until after the international break.

The club signed the Pole as a free agent on Wednesday, with the goalkeeper reversing his decision to retire so he could come to the team's aid following Marc-Andre ter Stegen's season-ending injury.

Ter Stegen suffered a serious knee injury against Villarreal last month, and Inaki Pena has featured in the last three games for Barcelona, most recently keeping a clean sheet in their 5-0 win over Young Boys in the Champions League.

And it looks like Pena is set to start between the sticks against Alaves, too, with Hansi Flick confirming that Szczesny is not yet available for selection. 

"Szczesny is in good shape and, with his experience, character and quality, I think he is the very best option for the club," Flick told reporters.

"It's very good to have him, he will help us a lot, but he is not with us against Alaves.

"I am sure after the international break Szczesny will be an option for us. For him also, to play for Barca will be great. We will see how he is doing in training. We have a lot of time."

The Catalan side have a tough run after the international break, hosting Bayern Munich in the Champions League three days before visiting Real Madrid in LaLiga on October 26.

They are in a strong position though, sitting top of the table heading into their match against Alaves, though did suffer their first loss of the domestic season against Osasuna last weekend in a 4-2 defeat.

With 25 goals to their name already, they have made their best scoring start to a single campaign since 2016-17 (26).

However, Flick admitted his decision to rest key starters had an impact in that loss, and accepted the players would not like his choices.

"It's normal to get angry, everyone wants to play more. Those changes had to be made. It's a decision that they have to accept, and they did," he added.

"Lamine Yamal [a 59th-minute substitute against Osasuna] complained that he wasn't receiving many balls, but now he can work on fixing that.

"We have to avoid the many mistakes we made at Osasuna. We need to have more control and possession. It is going to be a high-intensity game at Alaves." 

Barcelona have signed Wojciech Szczesny as a free agent, with the goalkeeper reversing his decision to retire after the Blaugrana lost Marc-Andre ter Stegen to a long-term injury.

Germany international Ter Stegen underwent surgery after suffering a rupture of the patella tendon in his right knee last weekend and is expected to miss the rest of the season.

Inaki Pena was initially expected to cover for Ter Stegen, but Barca have now reinforced their squad with the signing of former Arsenal man Szczesny.

Szczesny had announced his retirement from football last month after terminating his contract with Juventus, where he had been a regular after replacing Italy great Gianluigi Buffon between the sticks.

Szczesny won Serie A and the Coppa Italia three times each with Juve, making more than 250 appearances for the club, but he then lost his place to close-season recruit Michele Di Gregorio.

Barcelona are top of LaLiga with 21 points from eight games and Hansi Flick's side next visit Alaves on Sunday, looking to bounce back from last week's defeat at Osasuna. 

Despite Barcelona maintaining their perfect start to the LaLiga season with a 1-0 win over Getafe on Wednesday, head coach Hansi Flick insisted they can improve.

Robert Lewandowski's 19th-minute strike was enough to secure the win for the Blaugrana, but the hosts should have won by a more comfortable scoreline. 

At the end of the contest, Barca accumulated an expected goals (xG) total of 1.92 from their 15 shots, but only four of those were on target. 

But Flick, who became the third Barca coach to win his first seven LaLiga games after Gerardo Martino in 2013 and Ernesto Valverde in 2017, insisted his side were still very much a work in progress. 

"To get seven wins is perfect, but we have to do some things better," Flick said. 

"Today we had a very good mentality. For me it's a good starting point to improve. 

"I've been told that it's always like that against Getafe, they are very good in defence, but I'm very proud of my players and how they fought for 95 minutes."

The result saw Barca extend their lead to rivals Real Madrid at the summit of the standings to four points ahead of facing Osasuna this weekend. 

It was also a straightforward game for the hosts' stand-in goalkeeper Inaki Pena, who kept a clean sheet and was forced to make just one save during the contest. 

Pena replaced Marc-Andre ter Stegen between the sticks after the German international came off injured during Barca's 5-1 win over Villarreal last week. 

The extent of Ter Stegen's injury was confirmed shortly after, with the 32-year-old undergoing knee surgery on Monday and he is now expected to miss the rest of the season. 

Reports suggest that Barca are considering welcoming Wojciech Szczesny as an emergency back-up, despite the Pole calling time on his career earlier this year. 

However, Flick refused to discuss those rumours linking Szczesny to a shock move to the Camp Nou. 

"I only speak of the players we have in the team. Inaki Pena is our number one goalkeeper and I'm happy. This is what it's worth," Flick said.

"We have Inaki Pena who is 25-years-old but the rest of the goalkeepers are very young, so if something happens we have to have experience."

Wojciech Szczesny will listen to Barcelona's offer to tempt him out of retirement as it "would be disrespectful" not to.

Fabrizio Romano reported on Wednesday that Szczesny is close to joining Barcelona to replace the injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

The former Poland international, who only announced his retirement last month after leaving Juventus, is set to undergo a medical this week.

While Szczesny fell short of confirming an agreement is in place with Barca, he indicated he would be open to a swift return to the sport.

Speaking to Spanish outlet SPORT, the goalkeeper said: "I have a lot of respect for Barca's history; it is one of the best clubs in the world. 

"I understand the difficult situation that's arisen after Marc-Andre Ter Stegen's injury. It'd be disrespectful of me not to consider this option."

Barcelona are able to sign a free agent due to the severity of the injury sustained by first-choice goalkeeper Ter Stegen.

The German is set to miss a number of months after undergoing surgery this week on a knee injury suffered against Villarreal last weekend.

Szczesny agreed to mutually terminate his contract with Juve in August after a breakdown in negotiations over a move to Saudi club Al-Nassr.

The 34-year-old, who played twice for Poland in their group-stage exit from Euro 2024, then went on to announce his retirement from playing.

He won 11 major trophies during his career in England and Italy, while playing 84 times for Poland and featuring in seven major tournaments.

Szczesny joined Arsenal as a 16-year-old in 2006, making 181 first-team appearances and winning two FA Cups in 2014 and 2015.

After spending two seasons on loan at Roma, he then joined Juventus in 2017, winning eight major trophies, including three Serie A titles.

Between his Serie A debut in August 2015 and the start of this season, the Pole boasted the fifth-most saves among goalkeepers to play at least 50 times (481) and the fifth-best save percentage in that time (72.55%).

Only two goalkeepers in Serie A bettered Szczesny's 200 league appearances since his debut, though he conceded considerably fewer goals (179) than both Andrea Consigli (411) and Lukasz Skorupski (301) during that time. 

Should he join Barcelona, Szczesny will provide competition for Inaki Pena, who replaced Ter Stegen against Villarreal is likely to start in goal against Getafe on Wednesday. 

Former Juventus and Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has announced his retirement from football.

He won 11 major trophies during his career in England and Italy, and earned 84 caps for Poland, playing in seven major tournaments for his country.

Szczesny agreed to mutually terminate his contract with Juventus earlier this month after a breakdown in negotiations over a move to Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr.

The goalkeeper joined Arsenal as a 16-year-old in 2006, making 181 first-team appearances and winning two FA Cups in 2014 and 2015.

After spending two seasons on loan at Roma, he then joined Juventus in 2017, winning eight major trophies, including three Serie A titles.

Since making his Serie A debut, the Pole made the fifth most saves in the league (among goalkeepers to play at least 50 games), making 481, while he also had the fifth-best save percentage in that time – 72.55%.

Only two goalkeepers in Serie A bettered Szczesny's 200 league appearances since his debut, though he conceded considerably fewer goals (179) than both Andrea Consigli (411) and Lukasz Skorupski (301) during that time. 

In a post on Instagram, Szczesny announced his retirement, claiming his heart was no longer in the game.

"I left Warsaw, my hometown in June of 2006 to join Arsenal with one dream – to make a living out of football," he said. "Little did I know it would be a start of a journey of a lifetime. Little did I know that I would get to play for the biggest clubs in the world and represent my country 84 times.

"Little did I know that not only would I make a living out of the game, but the game would become my whole life. I didn't just realise my dreams; I've arrived where my imagination wouldn't even dare to take me.

"Everything that I have and everything that I am I owe to the beautiful game of football… But I also gave the game all I had. I gave the game 18 years of my life, every day, without excuses.

"Today, my body still feels ready for challenges, my heart is not there anymore. I feel that right now it is time to give all of my attention to my family. Therefore, I have decided to retire from professional football." 

Wojciech Szczesny has left Juventus after reaching a mutual agreement to terminate his contract, the Serie A club said on Wednesday.

The 34-year-old, who spent seven seasons at Juventus, had one year left on his contract but is now available as a free agent.

He made 252 appearances for Juve after joining in July 2017, keeping 103 clean sheets in all competitions. He won three Serie A titles and the Coppa Italia three times during his stay. 

"In an instant, Tek conquered the Juventus fans of the world and we are sure that we will all always carry in our hearts the man and the professional who wore our jersey with pride and commitment," Juventus said in a statement.

"Thank you for everything Tek and good luck for the future."

Szczesny began his career at Arsenal, joining the club at age 15 in 2006, before signing for Juventus having had loan spells at Brentford and Roma.

Juventus signed Michele Di Gregorio from Monza in July, while Italian media have linked Szczesny with a move in the other direction or to Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.

Rob Page insisted he will take Wales forward after their Euro 2024 dream was ended by penalty shoot-out heartbreak.

Daniel James missed the decisive spot-kick as Wales lost 5-4 on penalties to Poland after a goalless draw at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney put Page’s position in the spotlight in October by saying the manager’s position would be reviewed if the Dragons did not qualify for Euro 2024 automatically.

Page and Mooney held clear the air talks after those comments – the 49-year-old remaining in post after Wales had to settle for a play-off place that ultimately ended in failure.

“I’ve got a great relationship with Dave Adams, the technical director,” said boss Page.

“We’ve had our issues in the past, haven’t we? It’s been well documented. But everything’s fine. Everything’s great. I think they appreciate it.

“The board, the chief exec, the president, I think they see the journey we’re on and what we’re trying to do.

“In 12 months, from retirement of senior players to introducing younger players and being one kick away from qualification. I think they see the work we’re doing and the supporters do too.”

Wales had never been involved in a penalty shoot-out in their history and it was left to James, with the 10th spot-kick, to feel the pain of failing to convert as Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny pushed out his effort.

Page told S4C: “It is a cruel game and that is what I have said to the players. One kick away from qualifying and it hurts.

“I thought we were the better team. I’ve just said to the group, ‘look how far we have come – we are that disappointed we have not qualified for a major tournament’.”

Page offered sympathy to James and praised his squad for their efforts throughout the qualifying campaign.

He added: “We will rally round Deej. He had the bravery to take that penalty.

“I’m just so proud of that group and the nation should be proud of them. They have put a shift and some in tonight to try to get us there.

“We will be bigger and stronger for going through this horrible experience. We are going somewhere. There is something good happening with this group.

“They are so disappointed but they are hungry for it. We were nearly there, one kick away. There is a lot more to come.”

Page defended his decision to keep Aaron Ramsey on the bench and not send on his skipper in the closing stages.

Ramsey has not started a game since September because of knee and calf issues, but played 20 minutes for Cardiff in their last game following his latest injury.

“Who could he come on and replace?” said Page.

“We needed two sixes on the park and we weren’t going to take a risk in extra-time.”

Juventus missed the chance to go top of Serie A after they slumped to a 4-2 defeat at Sassuolo.

The Bianconeri had claimed 10 points from an unbeaten start, but came unstuck at the Mapei Stadium as Sassuolo battled to a second league win.

After Juve midfielder Adrien Rabiot had fired an early shot wide, Sassuolo took the lead in the 12th minute when Armand Lauriente’s dipping shot squirmed past Juve keeper Wojciech Szczesny.

The visitors, though, hit back to level within 10 minutes.

Federico Chiesa sent over a deep cross from the left towards the far post where Weston McKennie was sliding in and Sassuolo defender Matias Vina got the final touch as the ball dropped into the net.

Manuel Locatelli drilled a low shot just wide before at the other end, Szczesny made amends for his early error with a fine one-handed save from Ruan Tressoldi’s downward header.

The Polish keeper, though, could do little to prevent Domenico Berardi from putting Sassuolo back in front five minutes before half-time.

Matheus Henrique rolled the ball across the edge of the penalty area and Berardi curled a fine left-foot strike into the corner to mark his 300th Serie A appearance with a fine goal.

There were penalty appeals from the visitors when Federico Gatti’s cross struck Ruan Tressoldi on the arm, but the referee’s decision not to award a spot-kick was backed up following a VAR review.

Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri made two changes for the start of the second half as Nicolo Fagioli and Samuel Iling-Junior replaced Fabio Miretti and Filip Kostic.

England Under-21 international Iling-Junior looked to inject fresh life into the Juve attack, darting down the left before a deep cross dropped just past the far post.

Sassuolo remained a threat on the counter, and Berardi slid Lauriente into the penalty area, but his wild shot flew over.

At the other end, Dusan Vlahovic scuffed just wide of the far post before Juve eventually equalised again with 12 minutes left.

Iling-Junior flicked down a deep cross at the back post and Fagioli cushioned it into the path of Chiesa, whose deflected strike flew in.

However, Sassuolo were soon back in front in the 82nd minute. Lauriente’s fierce drive was punched out by Szczesny, and Andrea Pinamonti nodded in the rebound.

Sassuolo keeper Alessio Cragno kept out Chiesa’s angled shot at the near post before substitute Gregoire Defrel almost scored another for the hosts on the break when his effort cannoned back off the crossbar.

The fourth goal did arrive in bizarre fashion during stoppage time when Gatti, under pressure from Henrique, knocked the ball back into an empty net after receiving a quick free-kick from Szczesny, who was left stranded out near the corner flag.

Massimiliano Allegri confirmed Paul Pogba is "not ready to play the whole game" when Juventus travel to Sassuolo in Serie A on Sunday.

Pogba has endured a torrid time since re-joining the Bianconeri from Manchester United last year due to a succession of injury setbacks, while he also missed the World Cup in Qatar.

A five-minute cameo in the midweek Europa League victory over Sporting CP represented only his third appearance of the campaign – all of which have come as a substitute.

Allegri feels Juve's clash with Sassuolo is too soon for Pogba to be thrown in from the start, but the head coach is confident the 30-year-old can still significantly impact the remainder of their campaign.

"Pogba is training well. Yesterday, he did 20 minutes of good training with the ball. Today, we see how he is," Allegri told reporters.

"At the moment, he is not ready to play the whole game, but he can only improve, and I think he will be able to show us his quality – if not for the whole game, for the minutes in which he will play from here to the end of the championship."

Allegri also confirmed Wojciech Szczesny will be rested for the trip to Mapei Stadium.

The Poland international was substituted during the first half of the win over Sporting after suffering chest pains, though he was subsequently checked and given the all-clear by the medical team.

Mattia Perin, who produced an impressive display from the bench, is likely to deputise.

"Today, I will talk to [Szczesny]," Allegri added. "If he is serene and calm, he can come with us and stay on the bench, so at least he will have a day of recovery and rest.

"Perin is in excellent condition and has become an important goalkeeper. Compared to when he arrived at Juventus, he has made progress and important improvements.

"He is one of the best goalkeepers there are for reliability and presence in the game."

Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was left "scared" after leaving the first leg of his side's Europa League quarter-final against Sporting CP with chest pain.

The Poland international left the field in tears before the conclusion of the first half, with Mattia Perin introduced in his place and playing the remainder of the 1-0 victory at Allianz Stadium.

Szczesny was checked by the medical team and given the all clear shortly after the resumption of the second half, though he admitted he was concerned by the sequence of events.

"I am fine, I was a little anxious, but we did all the tests and everything is fine," he told Sky Sport Italia.

"I was scared, it had never happened to me before, I was struggling to breathe and it really worried me."

Perin's heroics in added time with a double save to deny Pote and Hector Bellerin secured victory for Juventus, with Szczesny returning to form by joking about the situation and praising his team-mate.

"The truth is, I saw Mattia in great shape in training, I felt tired and knew he would have a great double save at the 94th [minute]," he added.

"Nah, they fired it straight at him! I congratulated him, he is also a guy with a heart of gold, we get along well. It's a shame Carlo [Pinsoglio] didn't come on, he would've had a hat-trick of great saves today."

Speaking shortly after, Perin hailed the team's display and made it clear there was still plenty of work to be done.

"I think the team as a whole has been exceptional not to fall into a victim mentality or false alibis, instead we used that negative energy and made it positive, proving we are real men," he said.

"It is only half-time in the quarter-final, there are another 90 minutes to go and we can be happy with this victory, but it's only half-done."

Former Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang only returned to London in September to join Chelsea, but his time at Stamford Bridge could soon be up.

The Gabon international has scored three goals in 16 games but has only started four times in the Premier League under Blues boss Graham Potter.

Chelsea have been active in the January transfer window, already bringing in Joao Felix, Andrey Santos, Benoit Badiashile and David Datro Fofana.

TOP STORY – AUBA COULD EXIT CHELSEA FOR BARCELONA RETURN

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is eager to leave Chelsea and wants to return to Barcelona, reports Spanish newspaper Sport.

Aubameyang reportedly had interest from Atletico Madrid too, but FIFA rules state a player can only be registered for a maximum of three clubs in a season, but only play for two.

Any move for the Gabon international, who played for the Blaugrana earlier this season, could hinge on Atletico's interest in Barca's Memphis Depay. 

ROUND-UP

– Atletico Madrid are weighing up a move for Leicester City's Turkish defender Caglar Soyuncu, reports Italian journalist Matteo Moretto. Wolves are pushing to sign Brazilian centre-back Felipe from the Spanish club, according to the Daily Mail.

– Southampton full-back Kyle Walker-Peters has interest from Manchester United and Chelsea, reports Talksport.

– The Sun reports Manchester United are also interested in World Cup stars Goncalo Ramos and Mohammed Kudus from Benfica and Ajax respectively.

– Foot Mercato reports Fiorentina's Moroccan midfielder Sofyan Amrabat would prefer to join Atletico Madrid instead of Liverpool or Tottenham. Fiorentina appear set to sell him for more than €50million after impressing at the World Cup.

– The Daily Mail says Marseille could receive a bid from Aston Villa for ex-Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi. New Villa boss Unai Emery worked with Guendouzi at Emirates Stadium.

– Leeds United have agreed a deal that could be worth up to £35.5million (€40m) to sign Hoffenheim forward Georginio Rutter, claims Sky in Germany.

Didier Deschamps warned France must not underestimate Poland when they meet in the World Cup round of 16 on Sunday.

Les Bleus have won all five last-16 matches since the stage was introduced to the tournament back in 1986.

The holders are strong favourites to knock the Eagles out at Al Thumama Stadium this weekend in what will be the underdogs' first knockout World Cup knockout game for 36 years.

France are unbeaten in their past seven meetings with Poland, but Deschamps says there can be no complacency from his side in Doha.

"It's not a team we're used to meeting," he told FFF TV. "They have experienced players. Obviously, if there is one name to stand out, it's [Robert] Lewandowski, he's one of the best strikers in the world.

"But it's not just him, it's a team that has good organisation, a good athletic presence. We have three observers here who are following them closely, we will have all the details. Don't underestimate this team."

Deschamps rung the changes for France's final Group D match on Wednesday, which they surprisingly lost 1-0 to Tunisia.

Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud, Hugo Lloris, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann were among the players who dropped to the bench for that loss.

Poland will need to find a way of containing Mbappe, the joint-leading scorer in the tournament with three goals, while Giroud is one shy of becoming his country's all-time leading goalscorer as he currently stands level with Thierry Henry on 51.

The Eagles were beaten 2-0 by Argentina in their last Group C game on Wednesday but took second place.

Poland have faced the reigning champions twice in World Cup matches, beating Brazil 1-0 in 1974 and holding Germany to a goalless draw four years later.

A quarter-final showdown with England or Senegal will be the reward for whoever comes out on top.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

France - Antoine Griezmann

Griezmann continues to deliver for France time and time again. No player has created more chances than the 11 he has produced for Les Blues in this tournament.

The Atletico Madrid forward is the only player to create at least 10 chances in both this World Cup and Russia 2018 for France. He has already surpassed his total of 10 four years ago.

Poland - Wojciech Szczesny

Goalkeeper Szczesny has played a key role for Poland in Qatar, achieving a save percentage of 90. He had kept out each of his first 16 shots on target faced in the tournament prior to Alexis Mac Allister's goal for Argentina.

Szczesny saved a Lionel Messi penalty in midweek, ensuring he has stopped a spot-kick in each of his past two World Cup games. He could be in for a busy game, given France's quality going forward.

PREDICTION

While there have been shock results aplenty in this tournament, France will not be expected to slip up when they attempt to seal a place in the last eight.

Stats Perform's AI model gives the defending champions a 74.8 per cent chance of going through, with Poland at only 8.1 per cent to produce an upset.

Wojciech Szczesny made a bet with Lionel Messi during Poland's World Cup clash against Argentina that the referee would not award a penalty, the goalkeeper has revealed.

The Juventus stopper denied Messi from the spot in the first half of Poland's 2-0 defeat in Group C following a controversial decision, where Danny Makkelie pointed to the spot after watching the incident following VAR advice.

Szczesny was among those convinced that it should not have been a penalty, even going as far as to make a bet with Messi during the delay of the game – though he has no intention of paying up.

"We spoke before the penalty. I told him I can bet him €100 that he [the referee] wasn't going to give it. So, I've lost a bet against Messi," he said after the match.

"I don't know if that's allowed at the World Cup and I'm probably going to get banned for it but I don't care right now. And I'm not going to pay him either! He doesn't care about €100, come on."

Szczesny's denial of Messi from the spot saw the Polish stopper become only the third goalkeeper to save two penalties at a single World Cup tournament, excluding shoot-outs, having kept out Saudi Arabia's Salem Al Dawsari in the previous round of fixtures.

His celebrations were muted, however, due to the tight contest in Group C to advance to the knockout stage – with Poland only advancing ahead of Mexico on goal difference.

"Yeah it was nice, I didn't know at the time it was going to help us get through so I tried not to celebrate," he added.

"But I've had some bad luck at the big tournaments so far, the World Cup four years ago was awful for me and I owed this much to the team and in the last two games I managed to help them a little bit."

Poland will face defending champions France at Al Thumama Stadium on Sunday in the nation's first appearance in the knockout stage since 1986.

Robert Lewandowski ended his wait for a first World Cup goal as Poland took a significant step towards reaching the knockout stage for the first time in 36 years by beating Saudi Arabia 2-0 on Saturday.

Talisman Lewandowski's penalty failure against Mexico had denied Poland an opening win, but he and they made amends at Education City Stadium, toppling Argentina's conquerors to blow Group C wide open.

Although Saudi Arabia were largely more impressive than in their smash-and-grab defeat of Argentina, they again fell behind and this time could not recover – the latest episode of spot-kick drama making a hero of Wojciech Szczesny after he denied Salem Al Dawsari.

Either side of that save, Lewandowski assisted the opening goal for Piotr Zielinski and belatedly netted a breakthrough strike to make sure of a win that moves Poland to four points ahead of themselves taking on Lionel Messi and Co.

Matty Cash raced onto an incisive pass six minutes before the break and squared to Lewandowski, whose first touch took him away from goal before he cut the ball back for Zielinski's clinical finish.

The response might have been swift as a VAR review granted Saleh Al Shehri a soft penalty following contact from Krystian Bielik, but Szczesny sensationally repelled Al Dawsari's spot-kick and then – even more spectacularly – Mohammed Al Burayk's follow-up.

Szczesny had to come to Poland's rescue again 10 minutes after the restart, blocking with his legs from Al Dawsari, and Feras Al Brikan and Mohammed Kanno each blazed wildly off target.

Poland squandered chances to put the game to bed as first Arkadiusz Milik and then Lewandowski worked the frame of the goal, but the Barcelona man eventually got his goal after pinching possession from Abdulelah Al Malki and finishing calmly.

What does it mean? Poland take pole position

Even in victory, Czeslaw Michniewicz's men were not especially impressive, although Lewandowski would have felt the weight of the world lift off his shoulders with a first goal in his fifth finals match.

Vitally, Poland also have a star performer at the other end of the pitch. Their strong position in this group is chiefly down to their back-to-back clean sheets, now having kept three in a row stretching back to 2018 – matching their best such sequence.

Poland penalty heroics

Poland have now faced five penalties at World Cups, yet three of them have been saved. Szczesny's stop sees him join Jan Tomaszewski, who kept out two at the 1970 tournament.

The save from Al Burayk on the rebound was truly remarkable, while Szczesny had also early made a sharp stop from Kanno and would later frustrate Al Dawsari again.

Tempers boil over

Played in front of a raucous – primarily Saudi – crowd, a kind observer might call this encounter "competitive". Players from both sides thundered into challenges, occasionally with both arms and legs.

In the opening 30 minutes, the sides shared more yellow cards (four) than shots (three). By half-time, there had been five bookings – the most cards at that stage of a World Cup game since the famously feisty 2010 final.

It seemed inevitable there would be a red card eventually, but it never came.

What's next?

Poland must still play their toughest fixture on paper, taking on an Argentina side who will need to win. Saudi Arabia remain in contention ahead of facing Mexico at the same time on Wednesday.