June 14, (THEWILL) – Belgium beat Poland 1-0 in the first half, keeping the Red Devils in contention for the Nations League latter stages with Michy Batshuayi scoring the game’s only goal in the first half.
Roberto Martinez’s team were without key top players for the return match, including Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne, and Romelu Lukaku, less than a week after scoring five second-half goals in a 6-1 thumping of Poland.
Belgium, however, were mostly at ease after Batshuayi gave them an early lead, with Nicola Zalewski and Karol Swiderski squandering Poland’s best chances to draw level.
Despite missing numerous key players, Belgium put up a disciplined defensive effort to complete the double over Czeslaw Michniewicz’s side, limiting Lewandowski’s impact. In the first half, the Bayern Munich striker had the joint-fewest touches of any player on the pitch (13), and he only attempted one shot throughout the game.
With two group-stage games remaining, Martinez’s team is three points behind the Netherlands, meaning the two rivals might face a straight shootout for qualification when they meet in the next international window in September.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
