Euro 2016 - Goal-shy Robert Lewandowski not yet a problem, Poland could go far

How much powder are Poland keeping dry? They have reached the last 16 of a European Championship for the first time and are yet to concede a goal this summer; the flip side is that things are not quite clicking in attack and a priority for coach Adam Nawalka before Saturday’s tie with Switzerland will be to cajole some form out of Robert Lewandowski, whose confidence drained after a chastening early miss here.

Even though Jakub Blaszczykowski’s second-half winner was enough to defeat a much-improved Ukraine, that howler from Lewandowski may yet have consequences if he continues to fire blanks. Unattended in front of goal when Arkadiusz Milik’s delightful fourth-minute pass located him from the left, Lewandowski lifted a shot over from the edge of the six-yard box and openings really do not come more gift-wrapped for a striker who had not been given a glimpse of goal in the first two games.

Nawalka drew breath before answering the inevitable post-match question about his talisman’s form. “The fact he hasn’t scored a goal yet is not a problem whatsoever for our team,” he said. “He is doing a lot of fantastic work, has a great influence and you could say that he is like a steam-powered locomotive in our team.

“He plays in a supportive way in every possible element of the match and sacrifices his individual good for the team. It is just a matter of time for him to score. He is creating more and more chances, and I think he will score in the next match.”

It is certainly no crisis and making it into a significant issue at this stage would be a mistake. He worked tirelessly, set up a good chance for Milik with a fine flick inside the opening minute and was constantly available for the ball even when things were not coming off. Poland would be rudderless without him and the prospect of that flashed before the eyes briefly during the first half when Ukraine centre-back Oleksandr Kucher scythed through him and briefly left him in a crumpled heap.

Regardless of Lewandowski’s travails, there is clear evidence that Poland were operating a few notches down from their maximum. After making a fast start they allowed Ukraine to dominate possession – the final statistic was 62% in the Ukrainians’ favour – and they certainly did not close down midfield space as diligently as in the goalless draw with Germany.

It was, in many ways, the classic performance of a team with little to aim at, Nawalka had decided to freshen things up by starting young schemers Piotr Zielinski and Bartosz Kapustka, but Poland struggled for attacking balance and only found any incision when Blaszczykowski, introduced for Zielinski at the break, cut inside and blasted into the far corner after a clever short corner routine. The goal was a reminder that they are blessed with far more invention than most Poland sides of recent years, and also of the fact that Poland are both strong and confident enough these days to shuffle their pack at all.

“We started the match fairly well and created some chances, but lost control in the midfield and lost some second balls,” Nawalka remarked. “I made the substitution because I wanted to reinforce the midfield. It worked out – we scored from a set piece and I’m very happy to see the players’ great engagement with this match.”

Blaszczykowski ensured that Poland “controlled the ball and increased the quality of our play”, according to Nawalka, and they certainly exuded a greater calmness in the second half even if further clear chances did not flow freely. It was a hurdle to jump, a job to tick off, and despite a few late flurries from Ukraine they were able to proceed without reaching top gear.

Ukraine played well enough to draw but missed chances of their own through Andriy Yarmolenko and Oleksandr Zinchenko. That was the theme of their tournament: it was one of regret, a reasonably encouraging opening defeat to Germany followed by an awful showing against Northern Ireland that eliminated them on the head-to-head rule before this match had begun. The bright performance of Zinchenko, an exciting 19-year-old playmaker who has interested some of Europe’s biggest clubs, was a bright spot and his name would wisely be remembered for the future; sadly for Ukraine that is not relevant to the next few weeks and their coach, Mykhaylo Fomenko, cut a despondent figure in his press conference.

“We are falling, and we have to stop what is going on in the Ukrainian championship because the level is going down,” he said. “I don’t have any complaints about my players. I hope they use this experience later. They know that if they work very hard on the pitch they will be able to finish their chances in front of goal.”

Among some long, slow, awkward answers was the admission that he will consider his future and few would envisage Fomenko overseeing Ukraine’s World Cup 2018 qualifying campaign. He simply failed to get the best out of outstanding talents Yarmolenko and Yevhen Konoplyanka, and their fate in France feels like a waste of what is a reasonable generation – one that is, as Fomenko suggested, hamstring by the lack of competition offered to local superpowers Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk back home.

Nawalka and Poland will have no such concerns as they prepare to face Switzerland in Saint-Etienne – with the coach admitting that planning for the Swiss challenge had already begun. Had Poland scored twice more against Ukraine they would have pipped Germany to top spot and faced a third-placed finisher; tonight’s game may yet feel like a missed chance, then, but if Lewandowski can finally start scoring his then Poland could be full steam ahead to the latter stages.