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Coach Franciszek Smuda claims that the pressure "paralyzed" the Polish national team in the first match of the European Championship against Greece.
The hosts started the game excellently and not only led 1-0 after the first half but also had a quantitative advantage. However, after the break, the Greeks equalized the score, goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was sent off, and Poland was saved from defeat by the substitute goalkeeper who stopped a penalty kick.
"We felt a lot of pressure and stress," said Smuda. "It paralyzed some of the players. However, we still have two games left, so we can't stop at this match - we have to move forward."
Meanwhile, Greece's coach Fernando Santos, whose team suffered only one loss in the last 22 games, said: "We started the second half excellently. We showed character and scored a goal. We had the opportunity to push forward, which I think would have determined the final result.
"Unfortunately, we didn't convert the penalty, but that's part of football. In the end, both teams were tired, but still aiming for victory and creating chances."
