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Agence France-Presse

Poland coach Adam Nawalka hailed his side’s dogged work to qualify for the last-16 at Euro 2016 after their 1-0 win against Ukraine on Tuesday.
A second half strike by substitute Jakub Blaszczykowski booked Poland’s ticket into the last-16 at Euro 2016 and sent hapless Ukraine home without a point.
“For the first time in Polish history we have qualified from the Euros group stage, the first time in three attempts,” Nawalka said.
With two 1-0 wins in Group C against Northern Ireland and Ukraine either side of a scoreless draw against Germany, Poland finished in second place in the group on goal difference.
“It was fairly impressive that we got seven points from three matches in a difficult group, we didn’t concede a goal, maybe we could have scored more”.
“But as the table shows only the goal difference is against our favour it was a difficult match today it was maybe even more difficult than against Germany.”
With pride at stake for Mykhailo Fomenko’s men, Ukraine battled bravely but rarely threatened to score.
“You should never disrespect Ukraine, they have some very good players in their team, we had to defend well we didn’t have as much possession as we wished.”
Ukraine’s latest failure meant they became the first team to go five matches without a goal in Euro history.

With pride at stake for Mykhailo Fomenko’s men and a chance of topping the Group C table beckoning for Poland, both teams attacked from the off.
Poland’s formidable strike pair Arkadiusz Milik and Robert Lewandowski each had early chances, the Bayern Munich star volleying the more clearcut of the two over Andriy Yatov’s crossbar.
Ukraine’s Andriy Yarmolenko should have scored on the quarter hour but chipped wide when one-on-one against Lukasz Fabianski.
Lewandowski found more room than in the previous two games and had a drive deflected wide on 20 minutes, but from the half-hour Ukraine began to assert themselves.

With impressive teenager Olexandr Zinchenko, 19, orchestrating from midfield, Poland were stretched on occasion.
Winger Yevhen Konoplyanka drilled a low effort narrowly wide on the half hour. Soon after left-back Bohdan Butko crossed when a shot seemed a better option.
But with lone striker Roman Zozulya proving ineffective, Ukraine could not find their first goal since their opening game at the Euro 2012 tournament that they co-hosted with Poland.
Instead, it was Poland’s half-time sub Blaszczykowski who broke the deadlock with a delightful strike.
Fed by Milik on the right of the area in the 53rd minute, he worked the ball onto his left foot and curled a shot inside the far-post to send the Velodrome, decked out mainly in Poland’s red and white, into raucous celebration.

A minute later, with the fans still jumping, Poland’s own 19-year-old Bartosz Kapusztka nearly made it two but fired wide of both Pyatov and the post.
The Poles eased up after that, a Milik header well wide with 15 minutes to go the nearest they came to making it two.
In truth Mykhailo Fomenko’s men rarely troubled Fabianski.
Captain Ruslan Rotan forced him to dive eight minutes from the end and Zozulya headed narrowly wide soon after but two second-half blasts over the bar from Konoplyanka and Zinchenko were more typical of Ukraine’s miserable tournament.


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2016 Uefa European Championship (Euro 2016)

Poland ease into Euro 2016 last-16 over hapless Ukraine

Poland's midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowski (C) celebrates after scoring AFP PHOTO / Valery HACHE

epa05381988 Poland supporters light a flare during the UEFA EURO 2016 group C preliminary round match between Ukraine and Poland at Stade Velodrome in Marseille, France, 21 June 2016. (RESTRICTIONS APPLY: For editorial news reporting purposes only. Not used for commercial or marketing purposes without prior written approval of UEFA. Images must appear as still images and must not emulate match action video footage. Photographs published in online publications (whether via the Internet or otherwise) shall have an interval of at least 20 seconds between the posting.) EPA/OLIVER WEIKEN EDITORIAL USE ONLY

epa05381853 Jakub Blaszczykowski of Poland (L) scores the 1-0 during the UEFA EURO 2016 group C preliminary round match between Ukraine and Poland at Stade Velodrome in Marseille, France, 21 June 2016. (RESTRICTIONS APPLY: For editorial news reporting purposes only. Not used for commercial or marketing purposes without prior written approval of UEFA. Images must appear as still images and must not emulate match action video footage. Photographs published in online publications (whether via the Internet or otherwise) shall have an interval of at least 20 seconds between the posting.) EPA/ALI HAIDER EDITORIAL USE ONLY EPA/ALI HAIDER EDITORIAL USE ONLY EPA/ALI HAIDER EDITORIAL USE ONLY

TOPSHOT - Picture taken with a Tilt Shift lens shows the Velodrome stadium in Marseille on June 21, 2016 during the Euro 2016 group C football match between Ukraine and Poland. / AFP PHOTO / Valery HACHE

Gomez guides Germany into Euro 2016 knockouts - and Northern Ireland are through too after heroic display from keeper

Goalkeeper Michael McGovern of Northern Ireland clears the ball EPA/YOAN VALAT EDITORIAL USE ONLY

epa05381968 Kyle Lafferty (L) of Northern Ireland and Bastian Schweinsteiger of Germany in action during the UEFA EURO 2016 group C preliminary round match between Northern Ireland and Germany at Parc des Princes in Paris, France, 21 June 2016. (RESTRICTIONS APPLY: For editorial news reporting purposes only. Not used for commercial or marketing purposes without prior written approval of UEFA. Images must appear as still images and must not emulate match action video footage. Photographs published in online publications (whether via the Internet or otherwise) shall have an interval of at least 20 seconds between the posting.) EPA/GEORGI LICOVSKI EDITORIAL USE ONLY

Northern Ireland's goalkeeper Michael McGovern (R) stops a goal attempt by Germany's forward Mario Gomez during the Euro 2016 group C football match between Northern Ireland and Germany at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on June 21, 2016. / AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARD

epa05381784 Mario Gomez (R) of Germany scoring the 1-0 during the UEFA EURO 2016 group C preliminary round match between Northern Ireland and Germany at Parc des Princes in Paris, France, 21 June 2016. (RESTRICTIONS APPLY: For editorial news reporting purposes only. Not used for commercial or marketing purposes without prior written approval of UEFA. Images must appear as still images and must not emulate match action video footage. Photographs published in online publications (whether via the Internet or otherwise) shall have an interval of at least 20 seconds between the posting.) EPA/SRDJAN SUKI EPA/SRDJAN SUKI EDITORIAL USE ONLY

Sport

Football

Blaszczykowski strike books ticket to knockout stage


Poland ease into Euro 2016 last-16 over hapless Ukraine

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Blaszczykowski strike books ticket to knockout stage

Blaszczykowski strike books ticket to knockout stage