Prolific Poland striker Robert Lewandowski's World Cup campaign opened in frustrating fashion Tuesday as Senegal starved him of possession as they claimed a 2-1 win in Moscow.
Senegal ensured he saw little of the ball in their clash at Spartak Stadium, preventing him from having a shot on target until the 50-minute mark.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Lewandowski operated more as a traditional target man, trying to create options for Poland in the box when they were on attack.
But he was left isolated up front for long periods and was swarmed by the well-drilled Senegal defence when he did gain possession.
He was closely marked by Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly but created a chance in the 22nd minute, neatly controlling Jakub Blaszczykowski's pass only to shoot wide.
Lewandowski showed a willingness to drop back to midfield and perform what he has referred to as "donkey work", but clearly missed the quality balls provided by the likes of Arjen Robben at Bayern.
He made made a blistering run from midfield early in the second half and was almost through on goal before being brought down by Salif Sane. He curled the resulting free kick beautifully over the wall but Senegalese 'keeper Khadim Ndiaye dived to his left to push the ball away.
Leave your comments