Kamil Grosicki and Pawel Wszolek scored two goals each as an experimental Poland lineup thrashed Finland 5-0 in an international friendly on Saturday to extend their winning streak to five games in the run-up to Euro 2016.
Poland left Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski on the bench in the first half, along with ACF Fiorentina’s on-loan winger Jakub Blaszczykowski, who scored the winning goal in last Wednesday’s friendly against Serbia.
However, the game was effectively over as a contest by halftime as Poland scored three goals before the break.
Photo: EPA
Stade Rennais’ Grosicki opened the scoring in Wroclaw in the 18th minute, netting from a precise cross by Legia Warsaw rightback Artur Jedrzejczyk.
Two minutes later, Grosicki crossed from the left for Hellas Verona’s on-loan midfielder Wszolek to chip in for 2-0.
Wszolek then found Filip Starzynski, who curled the ball into the net from the edge of the penalty area in the 32nd minute.
Photo: Reuters
Wszolek scored again in the 66th minute following a fortunate rebound off a Finland defender after being set up by Grosicki, who completed the rout with five minutes remaining having collected a pass from defender Bartosz Salamon.
Poland are in Group C at Euro 2016 along with world champions Germany, Ukraine and Northern Ireland.
RUSSIA 3, LITHUANIA 0
Reuters, MOSCOW
Brazilian-born goalkeeper Guilherme made history when he went on as a halftime substitute in Russia’s victory over Lithuania on Saturday.
The Lokomotiv Moscow stopper became the first player born outside of Russia to represent the national team when he replaced Stanislav Kritsyuk.
The 30-year-old, who received his Russian passport last year, had little to do as the Euro 2016 finalists eased to a comfortable win.
Fedor Smolov scored five minutes before halftime, while Alexander Golovin and Denis Glushakov were also on target after the break for Leonid Slutskiy’s side.
Coach Slutskiy named a largely experiential lineup, with only Sergei Ignashevich and Igor Smolnikov likely to start their first Euro 2016 game against England in Marseille, France, on June 11.
Smolov was given a chance to stake his claim for a place at the finals in France and the Krasnodar forward impressed in a 45-minute outing.
He broke the deadlock in the 40th minute with an excellent left-footed finish beyond goalkeeper Vytautas Cerniauskas after being sent clear by a Dmitri Tarasov pass.
It was Smolov’s fifth goal on his 11th international appearance.
Substitute Golovin then made it 2-0 after pouncing on a knock-down from Alexander Kerzhakov.
Glushakov made sure of the win when he headed the ball in at the near post following a corner.
Lithuania failed to qualify for Euro 2016.
AUSTRIA 2, ALBANIA 1
Reuters, VIENNA
Austria struck twice in the first 13 minutes before surviving an uncomfortable second half on the way to a tight win over fellow Euro 2016 finalists Albania on Saturday.
Marc Janko scored an opportunist goal and Martin Harnik took advantage of a defensive howler as Albania’s rearguard, which did not concede an away goal in the qualifying campaign, fell apart early on.
Janko ran on to Zlato Junuzovic’s flicked pass, was partially stopped by a defender, but managed to cleverly hook the ball past Etrit Berisha after six minutes. It was the experienced forward’s 26th goal in 51 internationals.
Seven minutes later, home goalkeeper Robert Almer hit a long clearance, the Albania defense let it go and were caught out by the lurking Harnik, who ran on and fired a shot past Berisha.
Albania, warming up for their first major finals, replied two minutes after the break when Ermir Lenjani burst through Austria’s rearguard to blast his shot between Almer and his near post.
The large visiting contingent of fans let off firecrackers in celebration, causing a delay to the restart as the stadium announcer ordered them to stop.
Albania had plenty of possession after that and gave Austria, who dropped only one point in qualifying for Euro 2016, some uncomfortable moments.
Albania finished with 10 men when Ergys Kace was sent off in the 78th minute for stamping on Aleksandar Dragovic’s ankle.
HUNGARY 1, CROATIA 1
Reuters, BUDAPEST
A late free-kick by captain Balazs Dzsudzsak earned Hungary a draw with fellow Euro 2016 finalists Croatia on Saturday.
Ivan Perisic set up the opening goal for Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic after a good one-touch build-up in the 29th minute.
Dzsudzsak came close to an equalizer when his fierce low shot in the 36th minute went just wide.
The hosts applied more pressure in the second half and the midfielder did not miss the next time he had a chance, drilling a superb long-range effort into the top corner in the 79th minute.
“We played offensively in the first half, but in the second we dropped back a bit and Hungary had more possession,” Croatia coach Ante Cacic said.
Hungary coach Bernd Storck thought his side deserved a draw.
“I expected a bit more from my team in the first half, more chances,” he said. “In the second half we had opportunities, played better, and that pleased me because we were playing against a quality team.”
Saturday’s other result:
‧ Azerbaijan 0, Kazakhstan 1
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
Aaliyah Edwards on Monday pulled off the stunner of the opening round of the Unrivaled one-on-one tournament, beating top-seeded Breanna Stewart 12-0. The tournament to be played over three days featured 23 of the WNBA’s 36 players. A few had other commitments and a couple others were out with injuries. Stewart got the ball first against Edwards and missed a contested layup. Edwards then hit a three-pointer from the corner and a jumper from the elbow to go up 5-0. The player who scores keeps the basketball. Edwards hit two layups and a three-pointer to seal the win. Stewart, a two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player,
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38