Poland Lose to Bosnia After Late Penalty Row

A Close Game Settled From the Spot
For long stretches, neither side had the upper hand. Poland came nearest to scoring before halftime, when Wiktor Nowak fired in a powerful shot that forced a strong save. Moments later, defenders got in the way of an effort from Sebastian Szymański.

Bosnia believed they had gone ahead early in the second half, but the goal was disallowed for offside. The breakthrough finally came late on. VAR stepped in, and French referee Jérémie Pignard decided that Poland defender Jan Bednarek had held substitute Jovo Lukić. Midfielder Ivan Basić made no mistake from the spot. After that, Poland never really threatened and left empty-handed.

Poland also had to manage without suspended captain Robert Lewandowski, who left the squad after Friday's 6-0 win over Romania. Mateusz Żukowski, a 24-year-old forward from second-tier German club Magdeburg, took his place in the only change to the starting line-up and wore Lewandowski's No. 9 shirt.

Urban Fumes Over the Decision
Urban was clearly angry with Pignard, who was making his Nations League debut. Speaking to the media, he said penalties like that should not be given, because the ball was never going to reach the player and it was simply a battle for position. "There should not have been a penalty," he said.

He felt his team deserved far more from the night. The hosts, he pointed out, managed just one shot on target and still took all three points.

Where the Group Stands
Sweden lead Group B4 on 10 points after a 1-0 win in Romania, where Viktor Gyökeres scored in a record seventh consecutive Nations League match. Bosnia sit second on eight points, while Romania are still without a point. The group winners go up to League A, and the runners-up enter a promotion playoff. Poland travel to Romania and host Sweden in November.

Elsewhere, France came from 1-0 down to beat Belgium 4-1, scoring four times in the last quarter of an hour. Italy beat Turkey 3-1 in League A. In League B, Hungary edged Ukraine 2-1, while Northern Ireland, top of Group B2, drew 0-0 with Georgia. Croatia host Spain on Tuesday.