The "Orange Storm" Netherlands have secured their World Cup ticket, ending Poland's dreams.

A draw away from home would have given them a huge advantage, so Ronald Koeman's Netherlands team approached the match in Warsaw cautiously. Poland, on the other hand, understood very well that they needed a win to control their own destiny, and the game was exciting from the very first minutes.

Robert Lewandowski faces off against Frenkie de Jong.

Poland missed a golden opportunity against the Netherlands.

In the second minute, the spectators at Stadion Narodowy were left disappointed when Matty Cash crossed the ball and Nicola Zalewski, unmarked, shot over the crossbar from close range. This close call prompted the Netherlands to play more cautiously, controlling possession. The Dutch strikers simply lacked sharpness in attack.

Jakub Kaminski (13) is happy after scoring the opening goal.

This tactic proved costly for the "Orange Tornado." Just minutes before the end of the first half, Poland launched a textbook counter-attack. Jakub Kaminski passed the ball to Robert Lewandowski, and the Barcelona star striker showcased his top-class European skill with a clever hold-up, turn, and through pass to Kaminski himself. The Cologne forward calmly finished, beating goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen to give Poland a 1-0 lead.

Depay and the Netherlands extinguished the joy.

The home team's joy was short-lived. Immediately after the break, the Netherlands responded strongly. In the 47th minute, goalkeeper Kamil Grabara made a spectacular save against Donyell Malen's header, but the ball rebounded right to Memphis Depay.

Not missing the opportunity, Depay unleashed a decisive shot to equalize the score at 1-1. This was Depay's eighth goal in this qualifying campaign and his 53rd goal for the Netherlands national team.

Memphis Depay (10) equalized for the Netherlands at the beginning of the second half.

After conceding a goal, Poland pushed hard to find an opportunity to take the lead, and Lewandowski continued to be a constant threat, with a close-range shot narrowly missing. The home team relentlessly attacked until the final minutes, but goalkeeper Verbruggen made a timely save to deny Michał Skoras's shot.

The draw brought both joy and sadness to both sides.

The 1-1 draw remained until the end of the match. With a 4-point lead and an incredibly strong goal difference (19 compared to Poland's 6), and only one relatively easy match against Lithuania at home early next week, Ronald Koeman's team has almost certainly secured their ticket to the 2026 World Cup in North America.

Poland's only hope now is to compete in the play-offs.

As for Poland, their hopes of participating in the World Cup for the third consecutive time have been dealt a major blow. Now, their fans can only hope for a successful finish in the unpredictable play-off round.

The situation in Group G before the final matchday.

German "tanks" haven't reached the finish line yet.

Two crucial goals from Nick Woltemade against hosts Luxembourg were just enough to give Germany three points in the penultimate round of Group A matches. In the other round, Slovakia struggled to win 1-0 against Northern Ireland, putting them level on 12 points with Germany after five matches.

Nick Wolemade consistently scores goals for the German national team.

The two sides will meet face-to-face in a crucial match on the morning of November 18th to determine the single qualifying spot from Group A for the 2026 World Cup; the loser will go through the play-offs. Germany has the home advantage to seek revenge for their 0-2 defeat in the first leg in September.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/loc-da-cam-ha-lan-cham-tay-ve-world-cup-ba-lan-het-mo-mong-196251115072908431.htm