Ten-man Greece came from behind and had a penalty save as their Group A opener with Poland ended in a dramatic 1-1 draw in Warsaw.
Poland had a bright start and Robert Lewandowski gave the co-hosts a deserved lead when heading home at 17 minutes from Jakub Blaszczykowski’s cross, with Greek keeper Kostas Chalkias all at sea.
Greece’s task then got even harder shortly before the interval when Sokratis Papastathopoulos was sent-off for two harsh yellow cards, the second after Rafal Murawski fell to the ground. But the 2004 champions equalized at 51 minutes when substitute Dimitris Salpigidis scored from close range after Polish keeper Wojciech Szczesny misjudged Vassilis Torosidis’ right-wing cross.
Szczesny’s night then got even worse when he caught Salpigidis as he was through on goal and was rightly sent-off in the 69th minute. But replacement keeper Przemyslaw Tyton saved low to his left to deny Greek skipper Giorgos Karagounis from the subsequent spot-kick as the Group A opener in the National Stadium ended all-square.
Poland will be kicking themselves, however, after throwing it all away, having gone in at half-time with a one-goal lead and with Greece down to ten men.
The Poles, who began the game with swaggering intent in front of their home fans, dominated the first half.
(source: Skysports)
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