Poland lose ground with Moldova draw

Poland dropped precious points in their quest to emerge from FIFA World Cup qualifying Group H after being held to a 1-1 draw by Moldova.

The visitors started brightly in Chisinau and were rewarded when skipper Jakub Błaszczykowski struck on seven minutes. Eugeniu Sidorenco hit back half an hour later, before Moldova weathered a late storm to earn a share of the spoils and leave Poland five points shy of Montenegro at the summit.

Borussia Dortmund forward Robert Lewandowski masterminded the opening goal of this encounter, executing an incisive through ball for club-mate Błaszczykowski, who calmly dispatched it into the bottom corner. Waldemar Fornalik's team continued to press but lacked the necessary conviction to beat Moldova goalkeeper Stanislav Namaşco for a second time.

The hosts, meanwhile, were content to soak up the pressure and sting their opponents on the counter. Their approach was vindicated eight minutes before the interval, Sidorenco collecting the ball and rifling in a shot just under the crossbar. 

There was little to choose between the sides in the second half, the intuitive combinations between Lewandowski and Błaszczykowski coming closest to yielding a winner for Poland, who slip to fourth in Group H.