The Polish U-17 football team has triumphantly advanced to the quarterfinals of the European Championship, following a decisive 4-0 victory over Slovakia in their final group match. This result secured their second-place finish in Group C, trailing Italy, who overcame Sweden 2-1 in a concurrent match.
From the onset, Poland displayed dominance, leading 3-0 by halftime. Michael Izunwanne emerged as the standout player, netting two goals and orchestrating a play that allowed Oskar Pietuszewski to score with a spectacular backheel. In the second half, substitute Stanisław Gieroba capitalized on a defensive error by Slovakia to seal the win.
Earlier in the tournament, Poland faced a 0-2 defeat against Italy and drew 1-1 with Sweden. During the final group matches, Sweden initially led Italy 1-0, a scoreline that would have prevented Poland’s advancement. However, Italy’s late comeback to win 2-1 secured their top spot in the group, allowing Poland to progress with four points. Sweden finished third with two points, and Slovakia came last with one point.
In the upcoming quarterfinal on Thursday, Poland will face the top team from the formidable Group D, which includes Portugal, England, France, and Spain. The final standings of Group D will be determined later this evening.
Goals: Michael Izunwanne (11, 45), Oskar Pietuszewski (30), Stanisław Gieroba (68).
Poland’s Line-up: Mateusz Jeleń – Bartosz Kriegler, Kacper Potulski, Dawid Szwiec – Mateusz Szczepaniak (75-Filip Baniowski), Jakub Adkonis (67-Igor Brzyski), Mateusz Dziewiatowski (70-Michał Wróblewski), Dominik Sarapata, Dawid Mazurek (70-Bartosz Mazurek) – Oskar Pietuszewski (67-Stanisław Gieroba), Michael Izunwanne.