It was an extremely important test for Poland. After their first two matches, in which they had collected just one point from a draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina, the mood around the national team and among the fans was gloomy.
As has so often been the case in recent years, Robert Lewandowski also faced plenty of criticism. Some claimed he was already too old for international football, that his effectiveness had declined after moving to MLS, and even that his play was stifling the potential of younger players.
The national-team captain could hardly have asked for a better opportunity to silence his critics. In the previous two meetings with Romania, he had scored five goals. They were one of his ‘favourite’ opponents, behind only Gibraltar, San Marino and Andorra. After Friday’s clash, his tally against them rose to eight goals.
Lewandowski was, unsurprisingly, the best attacking player. On his 170th appearance for the national team, he opened the scoring by converting a penalty awarded after he was fouled. He then brilliantly got ahead of the defenders to turn Nicola Zalewski’s superb move into a goal, before completing his hat-trick with an impressive run between the defenders.
A hat-trick from shots-on-target xG (xGOT) of 2.36 shows that Lewandowski was highly clinical and produced above-average finishing quality. The third goal in particular required considerable creativity. Only one of his shots on target did not ultimately result in a goal, while he attempted to beat Legia goalkeeper Otto Hindrich seven times in total.
‘Lewy’ was also accurate in his link-up play. He completed 3/3 (100%) lay-offs, while 22 of his 26 (86%) passes reached his teammates. He also disproved the notion that he simply waits passively for the ball in the penalty area. In fact, he had the most touches in the zone just outside the opponents’ box (14 of 54).
Interestingly, Lewandowski also ranked third among Poland’s best defensive performers, and fourth when considering both teams. He won nine of 17 duels, including one aerial challenge. The statistic also shows that his battles with opponents were not limited to competing for high balls.
The 38-year-old also impressed with 2/3 (67%) successful tackles and one ball recovery. The blemish on his performance was the two fouls he committed, or rather the consequence of the second one. After a challenge on defender Andrei Coubis, he was shown a yellow card that rules him out of the next match against Bosnia.
“Of course, I am very happy with the hat-trick and the convincing victory. As you can see, I am still needed. Not only because of my experience or positional play, but above all because I am still scoring goals,” Lewandowski said with a smile after the match in front of his home crowd.
He now has 92 goals for the national team of Poland. Given his mood and comments, it seems safe to assume that he will put off plans to retire from international football at least until he reaches the magical ‘100’.
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