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| December 24th 2004 |
Montevideo, Estadio Centenario
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| URUGUAY - POLAND |
1-0 (1-0)
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GOALS 26' 1-0 Hector Pedro Scarone (penalty)
REFEREE Pierluigi Collina (Italy)
ATTENDANCE 80,000
YELLOW CARDS Varela, Mujica (URU) - Zmuda, Gorgon (POL)
URUGUAY (Coach: Juan Lopez, system 4-4-2)
1 Ladislao Mazurkiewicz
4 José Nasazzi (captain)
2 Roberto Matosas
5 José Emilio Santamaria
3 Juan Martin Mujica
8 José Leandro Andrade (-72)
10 Enzo Luis Francescoli
6 Obdulio Jacinto Varela
7 Juan Alberto Schiaffino (-63)
17 Hector Pedro Scarone
9 Pedro Petrone (-80)
Substitutes:
11 Pedro José Cea (+63)
14 Victor Rodriguez Andrade (+72)
18 Oscar Omar Miguez (+80)
POLAND (Coach: Kazimierz Gorski, system 4-3-3)
1 Jan Tomaszewski
2 Antoni Szymanowski
4 Wladislaw Zmuda
5 Jerzy Gorgon
13 Stanislav Ozliszlo
6 Henryk Kasperczak (-69)
12 Kazimierz Deyna (captain)
10 Zbigniew Boniek
16 Gregorz Lato
9 Wlodzimierz Lubanski
11 Roberto Gadocha (-72)
Substitutes:
20 Gerard Cieslik (+69)
8 Andrzej Szarmach (+72)
MATCHREPORT
Uruguay brought a very fine team together, combining the first World
Champions of 1930 (won in the same stadium in which this game was played)
with the heroes of 1950. Add Ladislao Mazurkiewicz, the world’s best
goalkeeper in the early 70’s, huge stopper Roberto Matosas and brilliant
Enzo Luis Francescoli. This team could not be underestimated, a serious
contender.
Poland relied heavily on the great teams they had in the 70’s and 80’s.
Kazimierz Deyna again would be the big orchestrator, with Zibi Boniek
alongside him. Could Poland, with only Henryk Kasperczak as defensive pawn
in midfield, withstand the great qualities of José Andrade, Enzo Francescoli
and Juan Schiaffino? Both teams from nature and looking at their line-ups
more with a sense of attacking rather than defending. A guarantee for a
match with a lot of goals? No way!
Poland hadn’t come to Montevideo to steal the show. It stuck tightly
together, hoping for a splitting Deyna pass and the rushes of Lato and
Gadocha. Boniek found Andrade on his way and had to defend more than he
wanted, instead of dribbling his opponents. Deyna had to cope with Chef
Varela and could not find a way to send his passes to the strikers. On the
other end Zmuda and Petrone were involved in many hard but fair clashes.
Szymanowski marked Schiaffino virtually out of the game.
Uruguay the first team to attack, weren’t able to find their way through.
The Polish wall seemed to be rockhard and hardly beatable. Andrade’s shot
went over the bar and Mujica’s cross reached Francescoli who only found the
safe hands of Jan Tomaszewski. The first real good attack however
immediately led to a penalty-kick. Varela passed the ball to Andrade who
played it into the box, to Scarone. The little man was floored by Osliszlo.
Collina had no doubts: penalty-kick. Scarone himself sent Tomaszewski,
though a known penaltykiller, the wrong way: 1-0 to Uruguay, in the 26th
minute. The Estadio Centenario, packed with a capacity crowd of 80,000
spectators, exploded.
This setback couldn’t prevent the Poles from holding on their defensive
positions. Uruguay still the better team, but their speed was insufficient
to do much damage to Gorgon and his fellows. Tomaszewski could hold on to a
sharp Petrone cross and fingertipped a header from Francescoli into corner.
When the giant Polish goalkeeper had no chance as Petrone headed the ball
past him, Collina had seen off-side. So 1-0 at the break, deserved though
not convincing.
In the second half the game only came to life when Polish coach Gorski
decided to bring in two fresh players, Cieslik and Szarmach. This was the
sign for Deyna, until then invisible, to get more involved in the build-up of
play. Lato reacted quickly to a through-pass of his captain but shot directly
at Mazurkiewicz, in the spotlight for the first time. The same Lato sent a
sharp cross into the box, but Szarmach couldn’t reach it. In the
counterattack Urugyuay, with Cea in place of the disappointing Schiaffino,
was close to the decisive second goal twice. But Tomaszewski kept also
substituted Miguez at bay and Francescoli shot wide, after running past
Ozliszlo and Zmuda. Scarone was stopped by an off-side decision of Collina.
Every other person in the stadium had his doubts.
It had not been a great match, but Uruguay had won it deservedly. For the
East-Europeans only one possibilty lasted: winning against the favourites of
Holland. But first Uruguay could make themselves ready for the big clash
with Cruijff & Co., a game the whole world awaited with great expectation.
Poland awaited a confrontation with South-Korea, also fighting for their
last chance.
On Tuesday, January 4, a new game in The All Time World Cup. In the old
Roman Stadio Nazionale the first all-European clash, and what a match!
France meet neighbours Belgium under the refereeing of East-German Rudi
Glöckner. Your first chance to see Zidane and Platini in one team. Belgium
not always the most spectacular team, but never easy to beat and with great
quality up front. The first match in group F, a smashing fixture.
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