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Poland's Blaszczykowski nets winner to boost Euro 2016 chances

Poland's Blaszczykowski nets winner to boost Euro 2016 chances

By REUTERS

Football Soccer - Poland v Serbia - International Friendly - Inea Stadium, Poznan, Poland - 23/03/16 Poland's Jakub Blaszczykowski celebrates after scoring a goal against Serbia REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

WARSAW: Jakub Blaszczykowski's first-half goal gave Poland a 1-0 win in an evenly-contested friendly against Serbia on Wednesday, as the Euro 2016 qualifiers struggled to break down a rock-solid Serbian defence. Blaszczykowski, who is on loan at Fiorentina, found space in the area and scored in the 28th minute with a seemingly-effortless first-time shot after Serbia had failed to clear their lines. The 30-year-old winger has recently fallen out of favour at the Italian club, but improved his chances of earning a place at the Euros in June and July with a performance that overshadowed his more heralded team mates Robert Lewandowski and Arek Milik. Playing on a rain-soaked pitch in the western Polish town of Poznan, the hosts struggled on the flanks against Serbia's experienced full backs Aleksandar Kolarov and Branislav Ivanovic. Poland coach Adam Nawalka fielded a largely full-strength side that featured Sevilla midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak and Torino defender Kamil Glik, but Serbia managed to keep them at bay for most of the game. It was a physical encounter as Serbia fought tenaciously in midfield, with Lewandowski almost forced off the pitch through injury following a tackle early in the game. Poland are in Group C at Euro 2016 along with world champions Germany, Ukraine and Northern Ireland.