FIFA World Cup 2022: Poland Review, why Robert Lewandowski's side bowed out of Round of 16

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Poland have been knocked out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup having lost their Round of 16 clash against France 3-1. It could well be Robert Lewandowski's last-ever World Cup campaign and even his last major tournament for his country. While he will be remembered as the greatest Polish player of all time, Poland simply never had enough quality around him. To be fair, they never really looked convincing in this World Cup and were probably lucky to have made their way to to the Round of 16.

France, strong favourites to retain their World Cup title, dominated Poland for most parts of the game which was expected and won the game 3-1. Robert Lewandowski scored a late consolation goal from the spot in the last minute of the game. Here, we will take a look at how Poland fared in the FIFA World Cup and why they bowed out of the tournament.

Over-reliance on Robert Lewandowski:

It is quite understandable that Poland are very much reliant on their talisman Robert Lewandowski. He is the greatest player in Polish football history and is relied upon heavily on the pitch. However, over-reliance on Robert Lewandowski often hurts them and that has been the case in the World Cup.

Apart from Piotr Zieliński, there is not much quality in the Polish midfield ranks and the Napoli midfielder has operated in a more advanced role. Players like Grzegorz Krychowiak, who are well past their peaks, are still key players for Poland. The Poles never really managed to control any of their games in the World Cup and must find the next generation of midfielders soon.

Poor attacking display:

In their four games in the World cup, Poland scored just three goals. Two of those were against Saudi Arabia as they won 2-0. They drew 0-0 with Mexico and lost 2-0 to Argentina. Their third goal of the FIFA World Cup came from the spot in the final minute of their 3-1 loss against France. To be fair, Poland never really convinced in the tournament and were somewhat lucky to advance to the Round of 16.