World Cup Now: Man of the Match for Poland vs. Saudi Arabia
Robert Lewandowski scored his first World Cup goal in Poland's 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia Saturday at Education City Stadium, but the FC Barcelona star wasn't the game's only goalscorer, nor was he the only standout performer.
Former United States men's national team players DaMarcus Beasley, Jimmy Conrad and Sacha Kljestan discusses their picks for Man of the Match on "World Cup Now."
Beasley: Robert Lewandowski
Any time you break any kind of duck in your career or with your team with goal-scoring, I think it should be applauded. He does so much for Poland that I think his impact goes unannounced sometimes.
Yes, he's a goalscorer, but he does so much for this team: He works hard, he's the captain, you see him tracking back in the last 10 minutes of the game to try to hold onto the lead. Those are things you need from your captain even though he's a No. 9. He defends, he works hard and because of that, he gets his reward.
Robert Lewandowski scores his first World Cup goal for Poland against Saudi Arabia
Conrad: Piotr Zieliński
He ended up scoring the first goal to really the tone for Poland. I think Saudi Arabia had the run of play up to that point.
He's had a terrific season in Italy with his club Napoli in Serie A — they're one of the best teams in Europe right now — and he's a big reason why.
It's good for him and his team that he has that type of confidence to hit the back of the net.
Poland vs. Saudi Arabia Highlights
Kljestan: Wojciech Szczęsny
Before the game, I said Robert Lewandowski was going to have two goals and Poland would win 2-0. He had one goal and one assist. I said he'd step up and he did. However, my man of the match Szczęsny.
Without his double save, Lewandowski isn't able to shine. Without Szczęsny, they don't win this game.
Wojciech Szczęsny makes an incredible save on a PK to keep Poland ahead of Saudi Arabia
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Check out the full schedule for the World Cup and how to watch each match live here.
