Fans go berserk after Poland star Robert Lewandowski breaks World Cup curse with goal against Saudi Arabia
Poland moved top of Group C at the Qatar World Cup with a 2-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in which Robert Lewandowski netted his first World Cup goal and goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny saved a penalty.
FollowRobert Lewandowski has scored 600 goals in his career, but on Saturday the Polish legend created history by scoring his first goal in a World Cup during his team's 2-0 win against Saudi Arabia at the Al Rayyan stadium.
During the high-octane Group C clash, Mohamed Kanno nearly gave Saudi Arabia the lead in the 14th minute after drawing a fantastic save from Szczesny with a strong effort.
After Lewandowski's deft cutback, Piotr Zielinski shot into the roof of the net in the 40th minute, breaking the score somewhat against the flow of play.
When Krystian Bielik was found to have fouled Saleh Alshehri in the box, Saudi Arabia was subsequently given a penalty. Salem Al-Dawsari attempted to take the shot, but was stopped by an outstanding Szczesny save. The goalie then made an exceptional save on the rebound, sparking massive jubilation among Polish fans.
During the second half, Szczesny was once more required to make a save to deny Salem Al-Dawsari from close range before Feras missed an excellent opportunity by hitting the post.
Arkadiusz Milik then nearly doubled Poland's lead down the other end, but his header struck the crossbar. Lewandowski then hit the post with a shot.
After robbing Abdulelah Almalki on the edge of the Saudi Arabia box, Lewandowski did score his first World Cup goal in the 82nd minute, slotting the ball past the goalkeeper for a 2-0 score. In the 90th minute, the Barcelona striker had another opportunity to score, but Mohammed Alowais saved it well.
"GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL! 🇵🇱 ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI GETS HIS FIRST CAREER WORLD CUP GOAL!!!!!" tweeted Lewandowski's current club Barcelona.
With a goal against Saudi Arabia, the former Bayern Munich legend took his goal tally for Poland to 77, which is as many career international goals as the Brazilian legend Pele.
"Legend in a wrong team," noted one fan after Lewandowski scored his first World Cup goal, while another added, "Top 10 CF of all time and it's not even a debate."
A third fan commented, "So happy for him. What a massive talent!" while a fourth enthusiast stated, "Benzema didn't get his first yet."
Here's a look at some of the other reactions:
