Poland 2 Nigeria 2, and it took Przemysław Wiśniewski scoring in the fifth minute of stoppage time to rescue M. Probierz from a bruising friendly in Warsaw last night. Nigeria thought they had the statement win sewn up, yet the hosts kept pushing until the final action and found the equaliser that keeps morale steady heading into the rest of this June window.
Nigeria had looked sharper through the opening third. Bartosz Slisz was booked in the 21st minute as Poland laboured to track runners, then Moses Simon punished the slackness by scoring in the 25th minute after Terem Moffi supplied the pass. Probierz trusted Piotr Zieliński and Sebastian Szymański to knit the play, but the visitors enjoyed 51 percent of possession and picked their moments.
Nicola Zalewski offered the first real response. His delivery freed Kacper Potulski, who scored in the 45+1 minute to level the match on the stroke of the interval. Potulski’s movement alongside Jan Bednarek and Wiśniewski gave Poland a back line comfortable stepping into midfield, yet the home side still lacked tempo up front with Robert Lewandowski marked tightly by Wilfred Ndidi.
É. Chelle tore up his first-half plan at the restart, making seven substitutions in the 46th minute. Paul Onuachu replaced Moffi, while Calvin Bassey, Zaidu Sanusi, Semi Ajayi, Raphael Onyedika, Philip Otele and Rafiu Durosinmi all arrived and the new unit immediately stretched Poland. Abdullahi Bewene collected a yellow card in the 59th minute, but Nigeria kept pressing and Onuachu converted the 77th-minute penalty that restored their lead.
Probierz responded in the 62nd minute by introducing Norbert Wojtuszek and Kacper Kozłowski, switches that pushed Jakub Kamiński higher and brought fresher legs into midfield. Tempers flared in the 80th minute when Lewandowski and Onyedika were booked in the same passage, reflecting Nigeria’s determination to disrupt the rhythm. Potulski departed for Jakub Kiwior in the 82nd minute, with Karol Czubak and Oskar Pietuszewski thrown on in the 89th minute as Poland chased the draw.
It finally came when Wiśniewski capitalised on Poland’s late pressure to score in the fifth minute of stoppage time. The centre-back had already been pushing forward repeatedly once Kiwior came on, and his persistence produced a reward that matched the balance of chances. Poland finished with eight shots on target to Nigeria’s five.
Probierz will take solace from the resilience and from Zalewski’s consistent supply line, although the reliance on set pieces and late chaos remains a concern before competitive qualifiers resume. Chelle can be satisfied that his second-half unit, built around Onuachu and Onyedika, carried structure even after wholesale changes. Both managers now head back to camp debates about selection hierarchy, with Poland due back on the training field tomorrow and Nigeria already planning for their next friendly assignment later this week. For more on this week’s international programme, see Here we go: Netherlands 0-1 Algeria, Hadj Moussa settles Rotterdam friendly.
Statistics
- Shots on goal: Poland 8, Nigeria 5
- Shots off goal: Poland 3, Nigeria 3
- Total shots: Poland 12, Nigeria 9
- Blocked shots: Poland 1, Nigeria 1
- Fouls: Poland 9, Nigeria 11
- Corner kicks: Poland 5, Nigeria 2
- Offsides: Poland 1, Nigeria 0
- Ball possession: Poland 49 percent, Nigeria 51 percent
- Yellow cards: Poland 2, Nigeria 2
- Goalkeeper saves: Poland 3, Nigeria 6
