WARSAW, Nov. 20 -- Poland beat Slovenia 3-2 in their final Euro 2020 Group G qualifier on Tuesday to give defender Lukasz Piszczek the perfect farewell in his last game for the national team.
With Poland having already qualified for Euro 2020 before the match, Piszczek was substituted just before the end of the first half, allowing his teammates to give him a guard of honor as he left the pitch.
"It was a special night for me. I'm happy that I could say goodbye. My heart was beating faster, but I'm a professional player, so I wanted to suppress my emotions. I wanted to smile instead of crying," an emotional Piszczek told Polish television.
The hosts needed just three minutes to break the deadlock, as Sebastian Szymanski's shot from distance beat Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak. However, Matjaz Kek's team responded immediately through Tim Matavz, who tapped home Josip Ilicic's pass from close range to make it 1-1 at half-time.
Ten minutes after the restart, Poland retook the lead when star striker Robert Lewandowski dribbled past two defenders and slotted home.
"I didn't notice any teammates, so I decided to go alone. It was a good shot. We are happy that we won, but we have to work hard, because we gave our rivals too much space," the Polish skipper told local media afterwards.
Though Slovenia equalized for a second time through Ilicic in the 61st minute, Poland had the decisive last word, as Lewandowski's cross and Kamil Grosicki's header allowed Jacek Goralski to score the winner with nine minutes remaining.
Poland's win saw them top Group G with 25 points, while Slovenia finished fourth and missed out on qualification for Euro 2020. Enditem