Wojciech Szczesny took notes from Mexico’s Guillermo Ochoa.
Days after Ochoa became a national hero by denying Robert Lewandowski and Poland an easy penalty, Szczesny got a block of his own, salvaging Poland’s first-half lead against Saudi Arabia.
While Saudi Arabia — riding the high of its upset win over Argentina — looked like the better team through much of the first half, it was Poland that struck first thanks to a quick transition by Szczesny that later resulted in a goal by Piotr Zielinski in the 39th minute.
The momentum from that goal was short lived as VAR awarded a penalty to Saudi Arabia after Krystian Bielik took down Saleh Al Shehr in the box. Supported by the roar of the overwhelming number of Saudi fans, Salem Al-Dawsari — team captain and hero of the Argentina match — stepped up for Saudi Arabia as the game entered a 10-minute stoppage time.
With the lead on the line, it was all Szczesny.
The 32-year-old dove right to block the ball before popping back to up to get a hand on Mohammed Al-Burayk’s follow-up.
Poland held on to head to the lockerroom with a 1-0 lead.
A win by Saudi Arabia would guarantee it a spot in the round of 16.
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