Lewandowski puts Poland back on track

Poland celebrated their first victory in nine matches as a Robert Lewandowski double helped them overcome Ivory Coast in Poznan.

The fixture was the home side's first in the city's Miejski Stadium since renovation work was completed for UEFA EURO 2012, and it proved an emotional occasion for former KKS Lech Poznań forward Lewandowski, who joined Borussia Dortmund in the summer. He returned to register the first and last goals of a game in which Gervinho levelled before the break and Ludovic Obraniak also scored.

The hosts took the lead with 19 minutes on the clock thanks to a fine pass from Adam Matuszczyk, which freed Lewandowski to run through on goal and finish from a tight angle after rounding goalkeeper Daniel Yeboa. The teams were level at half-time, however, after Gervinho pounced on an error in Poland's defence to beat Łukasz Fabiański.

Poland's lead was restored midway through the second period when Gervinho's LOSC Lille Métropole team-mate Obraniak found the net from a free-kick, and Lewandowski then made sure of the win by capping off a counterattack late on.

"I was very happy with my goal," said Obraniak afterwards. "I scored at an important time, when Ivory Coast were starting to press us very hard. My goal stunned them a bit and allowed us to play with quick breaks. Robert Lewandowski scored from one of those and we got a fantastic win. It came at a very good time as the whole nation wanted it desperately after a run of eight matches without victory."