NI remain in World Cup hunt

Northern Ireland kept their World Cup dreams alive on Saturday with a 1-1 draw away in Poland.

Late Lewandowski leveller frustrates Worthington's men

Northern Ireland kept their World Cup dreams alive on Saturday with a 1-1 draw away in Poland. Kyle Lafferty looked set to be the hero for Nigel Worthington's men, but a late leveller from Mariusz Lewandowski ensured the points were shared. The hosts started the brighter at Slaski Stadium and had the Irish pegged back early on. Gareth McAuley was in commanding form, though, and marshalled a defensive unit which held firm under pressure. At the other end, Lafferty was proving to be a handful and he lashed the first clear opening of the game narrowly wide. The Rangers striker did not have to wait long for his moment, though, as on 38 minutes he beat the offside trap and coolly slotted the opener through the legs of Artur Boruc. Northern Ireland's goal did leave a charmed life at times after they had taken the lead, with Jonny Evans nodding one effort off the line. The Poles continued to pose more of a threat after the break, but Pawel Brozek wasted the better of their opportunities. Martin Paterson then spurned the most clear-cut chance of the second half as he slid agonisingly wide after scampering clear. Poland always looked capable of snatching something from the game, and they duly equalised 10 minutes from time when Lewandowski poked home a low cross between two defenders.

Determination

Northern Ireland showed tremendous determination in the first half by defending in numbers and looking dangerous on the counter-attack. Poland knew they had to get a victory to keep their hopes alive and looked riddled with self-doubt in the first 45 minutes. Grant McCann sent in an inswinging free-kick early on from 25 yards that went narrowly over Boruc's crossbar. Then Steven Davis released his Ibrox team-mate Lafferty in the 17th minute. Lafferty showed a good turn of pace and homed in on goal, only to drag his effort narrowly wide. It was a half chance and Lafferty turned away in frustration after failing to test Boruc. Poland were struggling to get going but Rafal Murawski made space in the area after 29 minutes, only to find himself crowded out. A minute later McAuley again got the better of Brozek, clearing the ball to safety as he prepared to shoot inside the area. Northern Ireland were growing in confidence, however, and Davis delivered a marvellous cross-field ball into the path of David Healy in the 33rd minute. The Sunderland striker quickly picked out Lafferty but the promising move broke down when he failed to get a decent touch. Lafferty was not to be denied and made the breakthrough in the 37th minute with his seventh goal for Northern Ireland. Johnson began the move by finding Healy and he coolly stroked the ball into the path of Lafferty.

Composure

He showed composure to drill a low shot under Boruc to give the Northern Ireland a start they could only have dreamed about. However, Evans had to be alert four minutes later and headed Ludovic Obraniak's effort off the line. Poland surged forward in the 53rd minute and Brazilian-born midfielder Roger Guerreiro played the ball across the face of the area, only for Aaron Hughes to make the clearance. A minute later Lafferty came off following a challenge from Dudka and was replaced by Paterson. Northern Ireland then found themselves on the back foot in the 56th minute but Brozek was wasteful, sending his close-range effort high and wide. Paterson then found himself clear after a swift counter attack but his effort was easily taken by Boruc, with Healy furious at not being set up. Burnley striker Paterson squandered a glorious chance of extending Northern Ireland's lead in the 65th minute after a superb ball from Davis. Boruc was beaten, but Paterson's shot went the wrong side of the post to Poland's relief. Poland were beginning to turn the screw, with Zewlakow and Guerreiro going close in quick succession. The home side drew level in the 80th minute when Lewandowski burst into the penalty box and prodded beyond Taylor. It was a difficult spell for Northern Ireland, but they held out for a point they would have taken before the game.

Poland	Team Statistics	Northern Ireland
1	Goals	1
0	1st Half Goals	1
6	Shots on Target	4
8	Shots off Target	2
11	Blocked Shots	1
11	Corners	2
8	Fouls	13
3	Offsides	3
1	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0
83.5	Passing Success	65.8
17	Tackles	26
82.4	Tackles Success	73.1
69.3	Possession	30.7
62.7	Territorial Advantage	37.3