International Friendlies
PolandPoland0ScotlandScotland1

Poland 0-1 Scotland

By Andy CampbellBBC Sport Scotland
Scott Brown scores for Scotland against Poland

Captain Scott Brown scored Scotland's winner for the second match running as Gordon Strachan's side claimed victory over Poland in Warsaw.

The hosts had created the better chances with Ludovic Obraniak and Arkadiusz Milik denied by David Marshall in the first half.

Kamil Glik headed Poland's best chance wide after the break.

And Brown compounded the home side's frustration when he lashed a loose ball past Wojciech Szczesny from 19 yards.

The midfielder had scored from a similar range against Norway in November and, as on that occasion, one goal proved to be enough for the Scots.

Poland and Scotland will meet again in the upcoming Euro 2016 qualifying campaign and .

With Darren Fletcher named as a substitute, Brown continued with the armband and made an important interception deep in his own half early on.

Obraniak had the game's first effort, his long-range curler looping towards goal and drawing a save from Marshall.

The Cardiff keeper made another fine stop when Milik fired in a dipping shot that bounced awkwardly in front of goal.

Poland were in the ascendancy, but the visitors created arguably the best opening of the first half shortly after Slawomir Peszko and Brown had been booked for an altercation in midfield.

Right-back Alan Hutton burst into the six-yard box only to have his driven cross cut out by Szczesny as Ikechi Anya and Steven Fletcher waited in the middle.

Darren Fletcher replaced James Morrison at the break, the Manchester United midfielder ending a 16-month absence from international football through illness, while Steven Naismith came on for Steven Fletcher.

Scotland midfielder Darren Fletcher
Fletcher made his first Scotland appearance since Strachan's appointment as coach

The home side remained keen on shooting from outside the box, but neither Peszko nor Obraniak could trouble Marshall in the opening minutes of the second period.

Scotland threatened when Naismith cut back for Ross McCormack on the edge of the box, but the Leeds forward's tame effort was blocked by Lukasz Piszcek.

Glik should have headed the Poles ahead from Obraniak's teasing free-kick delivery but instead nodded wide.

Milik was similarly frustrated when he latched on to a hoisted pass only to lift his shot over.

The next phase of substitutions afforded a Scotland debut to Dundee United's Andrew Robertson, the 19-year-old left-back who was playing in the lowest tier of senior Scottish football with Queen's Park a year ago.

Robertson was soon celebrating with his new team-mates as the Scots took the lead.

Charlie Mulgrew's header from Anya's cross was cleared to the hovering Brown, who blasted in a left-foot shot with Szczesny rooted to the spot.

Poland were stunned and pressed hard in the closing stages without carving out any clear openings.

Eugen Polanski did muster a shot on target in stoppage time, but Marshall was once again well placed to block.

Line-ups

Poland

Formation 4-2-3-1

  • 12Szczesny
  • 26Piszczek
  • 4Szukala
  • 15Glik
  • 2BrzyskiSubstituted forKomorowskiat 90+1'minutes
  • 11KlichSubstituted forTeodorczykat 82'minutes
  • 8KrychowiakSubstituted forJodlowiecat 88'minutes
  • 5SobotaSubstituted forMaslowskiat 89'minutes
  • 10ObraniakSubstituted forRobakat 74'minutes
  • 17PeszkoBooked at 41minsSubstituted forPolanskiat 74'minutes
  • 21Milik

Substitutes

  • 1Boruc
  • 6Jodlowiec
  • 7Polanski
  • 14Teodorczyk
  • 16Pazdan
  • 18Maslowski
  • 19Celeban
  • 20Robak
  • 22Fabianski
  • 23Wilusz
  • 24Komorowski
  • 25Lewczuk

Scotland

Formation 4-4-2

  • 1Marshall
  • 2HuttonBooked at 58minsSubstituted forBardsleyat 67'minutes
  • 4Martin
  • 5Greer
  • 3Mulgrew
  • 6BannanSubstituted forRobertsonat 67'minutes
  • 8BrownBooked at 41mins
  • 7MorrisonSubstituted forFletcherat 45'minutes
  • 11AnyaSubstituted forBurkeat 90+2'minutes
  • 9FletcherSubstituted forNaismithat 45'minutesBooked at 85mins
  • 10McCormackSubstituted forAdamat 76'minutes

Substitutes

  • 13Robertson
  • 13McGregor
  • 14Naismith
  • 15Whittaker
  • 16Adam
  • 17Bardsley
  • 18Griffiths
  • 19Fletcher
  • 20Berra
  • 21Gilks
  • 22Burke
Referee:
Alain Bieri

Match Stats

Home TeamPolandAway TeamScotland
Possession
Home56%
Away44%
Shots
Home15
Away5
Shots on Target
Home4
Away2
Corners
Home6
Away1
Fouls
Home15
Away15

Live Text

  1. Post update

    Match ends, Poland 0, Scotland 1.

  2. Full Time

    Second Half ends, Poland 0, Scotland 1.

  3. Post update

    Corner, Poland. Conceded by David Marshall.

  4. Post update

    Attempt saved. Eugen Polanski (Poland) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Lukasz Piszczek.

  5. Substitution

    Substitution, Scotland. Chris Burke replaces Ikechi Anya.

  6. Substitution

    Substitution, Poland. Marcin Komorowski replaces Tomasz Brzyski.

  7. Post update

    Attempt blocked. Tomasz Jodlowiec (Poland) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Lukasz Szukala.

  8. Post update

    Corner, Poland. Conceded by Phil Bardsley.

  9. Substitution

    Substitution, Poland. Michal Maslowski replaces Waldemar Sobota.

  10. Substitution

    Substitution, Poland. Tomasz Jodlowiec replaces Grzegorz Krychowiak.

  11. Post update

    Attempt blocked. Arkadiusz Milik (Poland) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Tomasz Brzyski.

  12. Post update

    Foul by Lukasz Teodorczyk (Poland).

  13. Post update

    David Marshall (Scotland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  14. Booking

    Steven Naismith (Scotland) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

  15. Post update

    Grzegorz Krychowiak (Poland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  16. Post update

    Foul by Steven Naismith (Scotland).

  17. Post update

    Attempt blocked. Tomasz Brzyski (Poland) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.

  18. Post update

    Eugen Polanski (Poland) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

  19. Post update

    Foul by Scott Brown (Scotland).

  20. Post update

    Arkadiusz Milik (Poland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Scores, Results & Fixtures

Wednesday 5th March 2014