AL RAYAN, Qatar — Robert Lewandowski finally scored in a World Cup match to help Poland beat Saudi Arabia 2-0 and boost his team’s chances of reaching the knockout stages.
Lewandowski cried after the goal in the 82nd minute. He raced to the corner, arms outstretched, then lay on the field as teammates rushed to congratulate him. He stood up, rubbed his face and blew a kiss to the crowd.
Arguably one of the best forwards in the world, Lewandowski’s barren run at the World Cup has been somewhat surprising. Now, after five preliminary matches in the tournament, it’s all over.
Lewandowski also opened the scoring in the 40th minute, leaving the ball in play after an initial block from goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Owais, then clearing it for Piotr Zielinski to score.
Group C
Australia 1, Tunisia 0
AL WAKRA, Qatar — Australia only needed to avoid defeat to stay at the World Cup. The Socceroos did more than that in their win over Tunisia.
Mitchell Duke gave Australia the lead midway through the first half with a header to give Australia their first win at football’s biggest event since beating Serbia in 2010.
The result means Australia are still in with a chance of qualifying for the last 16 despite losing 4-1 to reigning champions France in their opening match.