What a way to start the round of 16, Poland and Switzerland gave us a fantastic game at Saint-Etienne this afternoon. Both sides would end up facing the winner between Portugal and Croatia in the quarterfinals, it was a complicated match for both sides in what would be a leveled game for both sides. The first half was almost completely dominated by Poland, but Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski would again have a bad day turning him into one of this Euros' biggest flops so far. The Polish were the first to strike.
On the 39th minute of the match, Grosicki escaped a couple of challenges and swooped across goal for Blaszczykowski who slid the ball under Sommer for Poland's goal before the break. But during the second half, the Polish seemed to be quite exhausted and Switzerland had a big opportunity to equalize the game in order to send the game into over time. It was on the 82nd minute when the ball looped up high on the edge of the box and Shaqiri produced a sublime overhead scissor kick to find the bottom corner. One of the best goals of the tournament without question.
This was enough for Switzerland to take the game into over time, they seemed less tired and came pretty close to score the winner. But the Polish held their own and the game was finished with that 1-1 draw, we had penalty kicks on the very first round of 16 match. The only player who was marked by failure from the spot was Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka, he sent his shot to the moon and gave Poland the chance to qualify to quarterfinals for the first time in their history. Krychowiak was the lucky player who made it possible for Poland. Now they will meet either Portugal or Croatia on the quarterfinals.
Photo credit: UEFA EURO 2016