England and Poland played out a poor 1-1 draw in Warsaw as Kamil Glik hit back to cancel out Wayne Rooney's opener.
Poland vs. England: Final score 1-1 as Poles punish sloppy England
Poland hit back to claim a deserved draw against a poor England in Warsaw.
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It was a poor performance from the visitors, with Roy Hodgson's men never finding their rhythm and being guilty of poor passing for the whole game, being outplayed by the hosts. Michael Carrick and Steven Gerrard were the most culpable in midfield, with the former misplacing passes throughout the game and the latter resorting to impatient and aimless long-balls too often.
The first half was a scrappy affair, with England's narrow formation frustrating both teams, and yet it was the visitors who took the lead in the 31st minute, Gerrard winning and taking a corner which Wayne Rooney diverted into the net by way of a defender's shoulder - a finish reflective of the game up until that point.
Chances were few and far between for either side, although Poland did have a good opportunity towards the end of the half, Robert Lewandowski setting up Kamil Grosicki, who blazed wide.
After the first half, England did nothing to address their lack of composure, and faded even further out of the game as a result. Almost immediately after the second half kicked off, Glen Johnson was called into action to deny a certain goal with a last-ditch tackle on Lewandowski after a bad mistake by Phil Jagielka. Polish pressure began to mount on the England goal, with Joe Hart tipping a Ludovic Obraniak strike over the bar, and Lukasz Piszczek being given the freedom of England's left flank to bombard the England box with crosses.
Yet for a brief period midway through the second half, England should have claimed the victory. First Jermain Defoe got on the end of a Steven Gerrard free-kick but sliced his effort badly, before the Tottenham striker was replaced by Danny Welbeck. The Manchester United striker almost immediately created the opener, being denied by Przemyslaw Tyton, but then teeing up Wayne Rooney, who fired his shot over the bar, reflective of his all-round performance in the game.
Immediately, England were punished for their profligacy - a Polish corner produced the equaliser thanks to a bad mistake from Joe Hart, attempting to claim a corner but getting nowhere near it and allowing Kamil Glik to power a header into the net.
It was largely one-way traffic for the rest of the half, with Kamil Glik almost heading in another Poland corner, and the home side having a penalty shout turned down after the ball appeared to ricochet off Phil Jagielka's arm.
It was a more than deserved draw for Poland, but there must be question marks over what progress England are making under Roy Hodgson, and what promise is being shown that he can take England to the next level. They remain unbeaten, but have drawn against Ukraine at home, and a Poland side missing their captain - two teams that failed to show any good performances even in front of their own fans at Euro 2012. England must at least look at alternative midfield combinations - careless and disjointed performances like today are becoming the norm for a side that is beginning to punch below its weight.
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