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Czesław Michniewicz: This match could have gone differently
"This championship ends for us today. We achieved our primary goal of getting out of the group for the first time since 1986. In the knockout stage, fate paired us straight away with the reigning world champion, who proved too strong. I congratulate the French and I suppose they will get far in this tournament," said the head coach of the Polish national team Czesław Michniewicz at the press conference after the match against France.
"When we were losing 0:1 at the halftime, we knew that anything was still possible. We had a second 45 minutes, so there was plenty of time. We wanted to attack, to look for our chances. We made some changes, introduced a second striker. There were moments in which we could have tempted an equalising goal, but unfortunately it did not happen. I very much regret the second goal we lost, especially as we had expected this kind of outcome of an attack and warned against it. Olivier Giroud passed brilliantly to Kylian Mbappé and the latter scored a fantastic goal. Even Wojtek Szczęsny, who has played so well at this tournament, was not able to help us in this situation. From that point on, the French did not push the pace, while we tried to build attacks, but the rival wisely positioned themselves and controlled the course of the match. The third goal practically ended the match. We also introduced Jan Bednarek and Kamil Grosicki onto the pitch, who both deserved to play. They are extremely important players, giving their best at every training session," assessed the Polish national team coach.
"As the coaching staff, we have carefully analysed the game of the French national team, but you do not have to be a coach to know where the greatest danger coming from the 'Tricolores' is. In the match against Argentina, we tried to neutralise the rival's attacks through the middle, while in the French national team the most dangerous players are the wingers - Mbappé and Dembele. We spent a lot of time analysing how to try and stop them. However, as it turned out, Mbappe managed to get away from our defence twice. France finish their attacks in a different way to Argentina, often by precise centring. This is what we were prepared for, but it is difficult to find a recipe to stop Mbappe in the form he is in at the moment," stressed the head coach.
"Today we are sad and disappointed, because we feel subconsciously that this match could have turned out a little differently. If we had scored first, extra time would absolutely have been within our reach. There would certainly have been more excitement. I think that as more time passes since this tournament, the perspective on these events will change. In the locker room the players felt regret, of that I am sure. Thank you to everyone who was with us and supported us during the Qatar World Cup," concluded Czesław Michniewicz.
