Highlights: Poland 1-2 Senegal
Senegal deservedly defeated Poland in a game of few chances to claim the first win by an African team at the World Cup - although there was a hint of controversy about their second goal.
M'Baye Niang sprinted back on to the field of play after injury and immediately intercepted a backpass from midfield, beating former Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and Southampton defender Jan Bednarek to the ball.
He then slotted into an empty net - to the confusion and disgust of several Poland players, who protested in vain to referee Nawaf Shukralla.
The Lions of Teranga had taken the lead shortly before the break when a shot from Everton's Idrissa Gueye took a huge deflection off the unfortunate Thiago Cionek.
Poland created little, with striker Robert Lewandowski feeding on scraps and heavily marked by Senegal's huge central defensive pairing of Salif Sane and Kalidou Koulibaly.
But they ensured a frantic finale when Grzegorz Krychowiak headed home a free-kick at the far post.
The result came hours after Japan had defeated 10-man Colombia in Group H's opening game - and one of the qualifiers could go on to play England in the last 16.
Niang scores controversial Senegal goalSenegal gets Africa up and running
It was played four, lost four for the African teams so far in Russia before Senegal and Poland became the final two sides to make their bow at this World Cup.
The three north African teams - Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia - had conceded late goals in narrow defeats, while Nigeria were a poor second to Croatia.
But playing in their second World Cup, Senegal showed a passion and physicality that their seeded opponents could not handle.
Aliou Cisse's team were wayward in their finishing - epitomised by one horribly miscued first-half strike by the lively Niang - and some of their decision-making saw good openings wasted.
But they played with great ambition and purpose and showed enough to suggest they could well qualify from what is regarded as a very open group.
Like Lewandowski, Liverpool's Sadio Mane had dominated the pre-match billing, but was heavily marked and posed little forward threat.
But that will surely be of little concern to the skipper as his team hope to emulate the team of 2002, who reached the quarter-finals.
And their superb post-match celebrations, dancing in the corner in front of their small but jubilant supporters, suggested the tournament will be better for having them in it as long as possible.
Poland fail to live up to their seeding
Robert Lewandowski scored 16 of Poland's 28 goals in qualifying
Poland had huge support inside the Spartak Stadium and are the seeded team in Group H - but they were disappointing in all areas.
Lewandowski was heavily marked, but apart from a weak shot on the turn that went wide and a free-kick that was easily saved he posed little threat to the Senegal goal.
It was the 29-year-old Bayern Munich striker's World Cup debut and he needs much better service if he is to help Poland recover from their terrible start and progress beyond the group stage.
Influential defender Kamil Glik injured his shoulder shortly before the start of the tournament attempting a bicycle-kick and is not yet fit. He was badly missed.
Not only did replacement Cionek suffer the misfortune of deflecting an innocuous-looking shot into his own net, but the entire backline struggled to cope with the pace and physicality of their opponents.
Poland brought on defender Jan Bednarek for Jakub Blaszczykowski - who had a miserable game on his 100th appearance for his country - at the restart and switched to five at the back, with the full-backs pushing forward.
But despite a marginal overall improvement it could not eradicate the sloppiness in midfield, which was evident as Senegal extended their lead.
Krychowiak's backpass at best showed a lack of awareness and left Szczesny caught in no man's land as Niang beat him and Bednarek to the ball before slotting into an empty net.
Krychowiak's header was well taken four minutes before full-time but it could not mask a disappointing afternoon for Adam Nawalka's team.
Man of the match - M'Baye Niang (Senegal)
The Torino forward is raw and far from the finished product but he asked questions that Poland could not answer and scored the decisive second goalPoland's costly errors - the best stats
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Senegal have won 50% of their World Cup matches - three wins from six matches - which is the best win rate of any African nation in the competition.
All three of Senegal's World Cup wins have been against European nations (France, Sweden and Poland).
Poland have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their past nine World Cup matches, since beating Portugal 1-0 in 1986.
Poland have lost seven of their past nine World Cup matches, failing to score in six of those defeats.
Thiago Cionek became the first Polish player to score an own goal in a World Cup match.
Cionek's own goal was the only second time an African nation has benefited from an own goal in a World Cup match, after Andoni Zubizarreta for Spain against Nigeria in 1998.
M'Baye Niang's goal was his first for Senegal, with his first shot on target in a World Cup match.
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Line-ups
Match Stats
Live Text
Line-ups
Poland
1Szczesny
20PiszczekSubstituted forBereszynskiat 83'minutes
4Cionek
2Pazdan
13Rybus
10KrychowiakBooked at 12mins
19Zielinski
16BlaszczykowskiSubstituted forBednarekat 45'minutes
7MilikSubstituted forKownackiat 73'minutes
11Grosicki
9Lewandowski
Substitutes
3Jedrzejczyk
5Bednarek
6Goralski
8Linetty
12Bialkowski
14Teodorczyk
15Glik
17Peszko
18Bereszynski
21Kurzawa
22Fabianski
23Kownacki
Senegal
16K N'Diaye
22Wagué
6SanéBooked at 49mins
3Koulibaly
12Sabaly
18Sarr
5GueyeBooked at 72mins
13A N'DiayeSubstituted forKouyatéat 87'minutes
10Mané
9DioufSubstituted forN'Doyeat 62'minutes
19NiangSubstituted forKonatéat 75'minutes
Substitutes
1Diallo
2Mbengue
4Kara
7Sow
8Kouyaté
11N'Doye
14Konaté
15Sakho
17B Ndiaye
20Keita
21Gassama
23Gomis
Referee:
Nawaf Shukralla
Match Stats
Home TeamPolandAway TeamSenegal
Possession
Home61%
Away39%
Shots
Home11
Away8
Shots on Target
Home4
Away2
Corners
Home3
Away3
Fouls
Home8
Away15
Live Text
Posted at
Match ends, Poland 1, Senegal 2.
Full TimePosted at 90'+5'
Second Half ends, Poland 1, Senegal 2.
Posted at 90'+2'
Foul by Piotr Zielinski (Poland).
Posted at 90'+2'
Cheikh N'Doye (Senegal) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Posted at 90'+2'
Attempt missed. Kamil Grosicki (Poland) left footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Posted at 90'+1'
Corner, Poland. Conceded by Kalidou Koulibaly.
Posted at 90'
Jan Bednarek (Poland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Posted at 90'
Foul by Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal).
Posted at 90'
Corner, Senegal. Conceded by Thiago Cionek.
Posted at 88'
Foul by Kamil Grosicki (Poland).
Posted at 88'
Moussa Wagué (Senegal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
SubstitutionPosted at 87'
Substitution, Senegal. Cheikhou Kouyaté replaces Alfred N'Diaye.
Goal!Posted at 86'
Goal! Poland 1, Senegal 2. Grzegorz Krychowiak (Poland) header from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Kamil Grosicki following a set piece situation.
Posted at 86'
Grzegorz Krychowiak (Poland) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Posted at 86'
Foul by Idrissa Gueye (Senegal).
SubstitutionPosted at 83'
Substitution, Poland. Bartosz Bereszynski replaces Lukasz Piszczek.
Posted at 82'
Attempt saved. Maciej Rybus (Poland) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Posted at 81'
Hand ball by Idrissa Gueye (Senegal).
Posted at 81'
Attempt saved. Moussa Konaté (Senegal) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Posted at 80'
Offside, Poland. Jan Bednarek tries a through ball, but Robert Lewandowski is caught offside.
Posted at 79'
Attempt saved. Dawid Kownacki (Poland) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top right corner. Assisted by Maciej Rybus with a cross.
SubstitutionPosted at 75'
Substitution, Senegal. Moussa Konaté replaces M'Baye Niang because of an injury.
SubstitutionPosted at 73'
Substitution, Poland. Dawid Kownacki replaces Arkadiusz Milik.
BookingPosted at 72'
Idrissa Gueye (Senegal) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Posted at 72'
Grzegorz Krychowiak (Poland) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Posted at 72'
Foul by Idrissa Gueye (Senegal).
Posted at 71'
Maciej Rybus (Poland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Posted at 71'
Foul by Ismaila Sarr (Senegal).
Posted at 70'
Attempt missed. Arkadiusz Milik (Poland) left footed shot from the right side of the six yard box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Lukasz Piszczek.
Posted at 67'
Corner, Poland. Conceded by Salif Sané.
Posted at 67'
Attempt blocked. Kamil Grosicki (Poland) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Grzegorz Krychowiak.
Posted at 65'
Thiago Cionek (Poland) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Posted at 65'
Foul by Sadio Mané (Senegal).
SubstitutionPosted at 62'
Substitution, Senegal. Cheikh N'Doye replaces Mame Biram Diouf.
Goal!Posted at 60'
Goal! Poland 0, Senegal 2. M'Baye Niang (Senegal) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal.
Posted at 59'
Grzegorz Krychowiak (Poland) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Posted at 59'
Foul by Mame Biram Diouf (Senegal).
Posted at 57'
Offside, Senegal. Youssouf Sabaly tries a through ball, but Mame Biram Diouf is caught offside.
Posted at 56'
Attempt missed. Lukasz Piszczek (Poland) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Maciej Rybus with a cross.
Posted at 54'
Foul by Robert Lewandowski (Poland).
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Source: bbc.com
Source: bbc.com