THE BARCELONA STRIKER LEWANDOWSKI MISSES A CRUCIAL PENALTY AS HIS SIDE DREW 0-0 WITH MEXICO

THE BARCELONA STRIKER LEWANDOWSKI MISSES A CRUCIAL PENALTY AS HIS SIDE DREW 0-0 WITH MEXICO

By Rashmi Goel

The Poland striker Robert Lewandowski suffered new world cup misery as Guillermo Ochoa saved a penalty from the Pole in a 0-0 draw against Mexico on Tuesday and caused further World Cup misery for his team. In his career, Lewandowski has never managed to score at a World Cup tournament, and he admitted that if he was able to score on the international stage, it would be the ultimate "huge dream". This number of blank games in the World Cup has proved hellish for Lewandowski, with this latest outing coming four years after he was unable to score in Poland's three games as they finished third in the group stage.

Nevertheless, this was a frustrating draw for both teams. Lewandowski wasted the best chance he had during a cagey game, while Mexico was unhappy that they could not take advantage of their territorial dominance to score. There is always a question of why Robert misses a penalty. That is a question that can only be answered by him. Yesterday, Robert trained and he never missed a penalty," Poland's manager Czeslaw Michniewicz told reporters. Michniewicz added that other great players had missed penalties too. It is a pity. There is no doubt in my mind that he was hungry for a goal in the World Cup. There was a great deal of emotion involved in it for him. It would be great if he could get another chance in the future. There is no doubt in our minds that he will be of great help to us in this tournament."

The Mexican team got started early, playing at a pace that Poland was not able to match due to their defensive mistakes. There was an enticing ball tossed in by Hirving Lozano, but Alexis Vega was unable to direct his shot on target because he used his arms. It was Robert Lewandowski's quality play that ultimately led to a line-breaking pass for Jakub Kaminski, but Jesus Gallardo sprang back to snuff out any danger. In the opening half of the game, there were few clear-cut chances to be made. In response to a corner taken by Piotr Zielinski, Lewandowski had a header blocked. For Poland, that was the best thing that could have happened to them. There was no doubt that Mexico was the more dangerous team out of the two. Vega was able to out-jump Matty Cash for Hector Herrera's cross, but his header from the cross was narrowly wide of the target. With a magnificent save from Gallardo, Wojciech Szczesny kept Poland's hopes alive in the second half of the game. It is important to point out, however, that these flashpoints were rare as the game dragged toward halftime.

It was Lozano and Sanchez that combined very well at the start of the second half, drawing a block from the half-time substitute, Krystian Bielik. Szczesny was then called upon to hold Lozano's arm without incident after he had chanced his arm from a distance. In the second half, Lewandowski tried to bully his way through Mexico's defense, lifting the traveling Polish fans. There was a blockage in his path by Hector Moreno, resulting in a VAR check for a possible penalty in the case. During the game, both players were physical in their approach, jostling for the first chance to reach the ball. It was a penalty that was awarded, and only one man was going to step up and take the opportunity.

A goal in a Fifa World Cup had always been out of reach for the 33-year-old regardless of all the accolades he had received up until today. The Barcelona striker played a key part in ending that drought for his side and gave them a lead that they probably didn't deserve. In this case, it was veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa who was charged with the task of playing spoiler. His role in the tournament was a role he delighted in, diving to his left after a Lewandowski shot seemed certain to find the back of the net. There was a loud roar as Mexican fans celebrated as if they had lifted the fabled trophy itself as they erupted in celebration. The teammate of Edson Alvarez, Henry Martin, met a tame shot from Edson Alvarez with a header. El Tri was once again narrowly averted, as they continued to knock on the Polish door, trying to secure their presence. In the aftermath of Ochoa's heroics, Mexico seemed to be galvanized as they pushed on for the first goal.

With the introduction of Wolverhampton Wanderers' Raul Jimenez to the team, these efforts were further bolstered. It was an exciting start for the Premier League striker, who was roared onto the field by an impassioned Mexican fanbase in the hope that he would be the one to break the deadlock. Despite the seven additional minutes, the game was given a fair chance to find a decisive moment - even if they were by far not the most defining period of additional time we had witnessed during the World Cup so far. The game was always destined to end in a goalless draw, and neither team showed the drive or ambition to get the job done to score a goal. It means that Poland has won just one of their last nine opening World Cup matches, and the match could prove to be crucial as they attempt to make it out of group play for the first time since 1986 after they lost their first three games on the road.