Poland at the 2008 UEFA European Championship was the first-ever appearance of Poland national football team in the UEFA European Championship.
The Poland national football team qualified for the UEFA Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland by finishing first in qualifying Group A, ahead of teams such as Portugal. In the tournament, Poland was placed in Group B, where they lost 0–2 to Germany in their first match. In the second match, they drew 1–1 with the host nation Austria, with a goal scored by Roger Guerreiro. In the final group match, Poland was defeated 0–1 by Croatia. Finishing last in the group with one point, Poland was eliminated from further competition.
Qualifications and preparations In 2006, the Poland national football team participated in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, where they were eliminated in the group stage. After the tournament, there was a change in the head coach position – Paweł Janas was replaced by the Dutchman Leo Beenhakker. Under his leadership, the Poles played for the first time on 16 August 2006 in Odense, losing 0–2 to Denmark.
Qualifications
On 2 September 2006, the Poland national football team began the qualifications for the UEFA European Championship. In Bydgoszcz, they faced Finland, losing 1–3. The media described the Poles' performance as terrible and embarrassing. Four days later, in a better style, Poland drew 1–1 with Serbia, with a goal from outside the penalty area scored by Radosław Matusiak. In the next match – against Kazakhstan – the Poles secured their first victory, but their play was clumsy and nervous.
A breakthrough occurred on 11 October 2006. On that day, the Poland national football team faced Portugal at the Silesian Stadium in Chorzów. After two goals by Euzebiusz Smolarek, Poland won 2–1. This victory started a series of four consecutive wins: against Belgium, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Azerbaijan again. A loss in the away match against Armenia turned out to be a small loss, as Poland then drew 2–2 with Portugal. magazine listed both qualifying matches against Portugal as ones that Polish fans cannot forget.
In September 2007, Poland drew 0:0 with Finland, and in October they defeated Kazakhstan 3–1. On November 17, they won at the Silesian Stadium against Belgium after two goals by Euzebiusz Smolarek, qualifying for the UEFA European Championship finals for the first time in history. Poland concluded the qualifications with a draw against Serbia and finished first in the group with eight wins, four draws, and two losses. Poland's matches in the EURO 2008 qualifiersDateOpponentW-D-LResultCityGoal scorers2 September 2006L1–3BydgoszczŁukasz Garguła6 September 2006D1–1WarsawRadosław Matusiak10 October 2006W0–1AlmatyEuzebiusz Smolarek11 October 2006W2–1ChorzówEuzebiusz Smolarek (2)15 November 2006W0–1BrusselsRadosław Matusiak24 March 2007W5–0WarsawJacek BąkDariusz Dudka Wojciech Łobodziński Jacek Krzynówek Przemysław Kaźmierczak28 March 2007W1–0KielceMaciej Żurawski2 June 2007W1–3BakuEuzebiusz Smolarek Jacek Krzynówek (2)6 June 2007L1–0Yerevan8 September 2007D2–2LisbonMariusz Lewandowski Jacek Krzynówek12 September 2007D0–0Helsinki13 October 2007W3–1WarsawEuzebiusz Smolarek (3)17 November 2007W2–0ChorzówEuzebiusz Smolarek (2)21 November 2007D2–2BelgradeRafał Murawski Radosław Matusiak
2008 Poland began 2008 with a 1–0 victory over Finland (with only players from the Polish league in this match), and then they defeated the Czech Republic 2–0 (the team mainly consisted of players from foreign leagues). At the end of February, with a squad mostly composed of players from the Orange Ekstraklasa, they won 2–0 against Estonia in Wronki (goals by Radosław Matusiak and Tomasz Zahorski).
On March 26, the Poland national football team lost 0–3 to the United States at the Henryk Reyman Stadium in Kraków. After the match, coach Leo Beenhakker commented on the game and the state of Poland's preparations for the UEFA European Championships:Today's result should not significantly impact our preparations for the UEFA European Championship. We played terribly in the first half, but our game improved after the break. This was just a friendly match. We lost, and it hurts; I admit it first. But don't think our level has dropped to zero or that we're back to square one. I also called for restraint in euphoria after winning against the Czech Republic. We are still preparing for the big tournament; we are on our way. Therefore, we should not draw dramatic conclusions. After this match, we are better prepared for the Euro. We know that winning at this level will not come easy. There are two positives: we know we need all players in optimal form to win. And we had another opportunity to test players. Some players lost their chance for the Euro with this match, but I will not talk about them. The interested parties will know first.From May 19 to 31, the Poland national football team held a training camp in Donaueschingen, Germany. It was supposed to be the camp where coach Leo Beenhakker was finally expected to leave his mark as a great coach on a team considered very average. During the camp, the team played three matches – the first, a friendly match against FC Schaffhausen, winning 1–0 with a goal by Jacek Krzynówek. The second, a friendly match against Macedonia, mostly featuring reserve players, ended in a 1–1 draw. The last match was against Albania, where Poland won 1–0 with a goal scored by Maciej Żurawski.
The team returned to Poland and on June 1, drawing 1–1 with Denmark at the Silesian Stadium.
Championships
As a result of the draw held on 2 December 2007 in Lucerne, the Poland national football team was placed in Group B along with Germany, Austria, and Croatia. Among Polish fans, there was a prevailing belief that the national team would initially lose to its western neighbor, then defeat the tournament host, and that the match against Croatia would determine the final standings. Euzebiusz Smolarek was considered the leader and star of the team, although according to foreign journalists, goalkeeper Artur Boruc was more deserving of the latter title.
Squad Leo Beenhakker announced the Poland national football team squad for the championships in Austria and Switzerland on 28 May 2008 at a specially convened press conference. The squad included 23 players – 14 from foreign clubs and 9 from Polish teams. Notably absent was Radosław Matusiak, who debuted under Beenhakker's tenure and regularly played in national team matches from 2006 to 2008, scoring seven goals. Roger Guerreiro, who received Polish citizenship on 17 April 2008, was included in the squad.
On June 5, Jakub Błaszczykowski suffered a recurrence of a hamstring injury during training. Tests showed that he would be unable to train or play for several weeks. As a result, Łukasz Piszczek, who was on vacation with his fiancée on the Greek island of Rhodes, was called up to replace him. Beenhakker admitted that he had planned to start Błaszczykowski in the match against Germany.
On June 6, Tomasz Kuszczak fell and bruised his gluteal muscle during training. He was taken to the hospital for an MRI. The injury turned out to be more severe than initially thought. Doctors at the clinic in Graz announced that the goalkeeper would be sidelined for two to three weeks, leading to the call-up of Wojciech Kowalewski from Korona Kielce in his place.
NumberNameAgeCapsGoalsClubGoalkeepers1 Artur Boruc28340Celtic F.C.12 Wojciech Kowalewski31100Korona Kielce22 Łukasz Fabiański2380ArsenalDefenders2 Mariusz Jop30240FC Moscow3 Jakub Wawrzyniak25110Legia Warsaw4 Paweł Golański26101FCSB6 Jacek Bąk35943FK Austria Wien13 Marcin Wasilewski28271RSC Anderlecht14 Michał Żewłakow32762Olympiacos23 Adam Kokoszka2272Wisła KrakówMidfielders5 Dariusz Dudka25262Wisła Kraków8 Jacek Krzynówek327915VfL Wolfsburg10 Łukasz Garguła27121GKS Bełchatów15 Michał Pazdan2150Górnik Zabrze16 Łukasz Piszczek2331Hertha BSC17 Wojciech Łobodziński26162Wisła Kraków18 Mariusz Lewandowski29473FC Shakhtar Donetsk19 Rafał Murawski2791Lech Poznań20 Roger Guerreiro2620Legia WarsawForwards7 Euzebiusz Smolarek273113Racing Santander9 Maciej Żurawski327117AEL11 Marek Saganowski30233Southampton21 Tomasz Zahorski2491Górnik ZabrzeSources
Training camp in Austria The Poland national football team arrived in Austria on June 2, landing at Graz Airport and traveling to Bad Waltersdorf. In Austria, they moved around in a distinctive bus decorated in national colors with the slogan: Because sport and fun matter. The slogans for each team were chosen by fans who voted on the UEFA website. The entire national team's staff was provided with special cars from the championship sponsor and security for the players. The first training session started on Tuesday, June 3, with 13 players and 3 goalkeepers participating. The training focused on sprints with dribbling elements, pressing play, and quickly transitioning actions to the other side. On June 11, the team moved to Vienna for two days to play a match against Austria.
The base for the Polish team during the championships was the Der Steirerhof Hotel in Bad Waltersdorf, isolated from nearby buildings, and recommended to Leo Beenhakker by Arsène Wenger. Despite preparing for the group matches in the presence of other hotel guests, a photography ban was enforced on the entire property to ensure some privacy for the players. The players, who occupied an entire floor of one of the three buildings, had access to six pools, including thermal pools, vending machines, and table tennis.
During the training camp, coach Leo Beenhakker claimed that the team was improving day by day. He spoke highly of Maciej Żurawski: When I see Żurawski working hard in training, I can't believe it. Incredible, this guy seems to be experiencing a second youth. Before the championships, Beenhakker believed that the team was a real, cohesive unit, despite lacking big stars. He also claimed that the Polish players' strength lay in their strong psyche, although he noted that the process to achieve this had been long. Western observers emphasized that the play of the Poland national football team had significantly changed under the Dutch coach.
Before the championships, Polish players consistently claimed that the team had a great atmosphere. This atmosphere was not even spoiled by clashes between the German and Polish press, which published military caricatures, referred to history, and claimed that the Germans had reached an agreement with the Austrians to eliminate Poland and Croatia from the tournament. Observers who had been in Bad Waltersdorf since the beginning of the camp noted that the players seemed relaxed and confident.
In the UEFA European Championships in Austria and Switzerland, the Polish players wore Puma v1.08 kits, similar to those of Austria, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Italy. This collection was a modification of the v1.06 collection, which the Poles wore during the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. The shirts weighed 145 grams, and the manufacturer, after conducting tests at the University of Manchester, showed that the kit reduced air resistance during movement.
Match Germany–Poland