Poland beat Switzerland on penalties to arrive the Euro 2016 quarter finals after Xherdan Shaqiri's amazing overhead kick had cancelled out Jakub Blaszczykowski's first-half of strike to ship the first game of the knockout stages to time beyond regulation.
A dominant Poland loved very few probabilities to counter-assault in a primary 1/2 that they largely controlled. However a little of speedy-considering distribution from goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski put the Poles four-towards-three on the wreck in the thirty ninth minute and -- after Kamil Grosicki had close to wasted the risk by way of carrying the ball for too lengthy -- a squeezed go by way of to Blaszczykowski set the midfielder up for the opener.
Switzerland grew into the sport because the healthy advanced and went almost discovering an equaliser on seventy three minutes when Ricardo Rodriguez's well-struck free kick was brilliantly saved at full stretch by means of Fabianski.
And striker Haris Seferovic went even nearer five minutes later when he crashed a shot off the crossbar as Poland retreated deeper into their own 1/2 to shield the lead.
But the equaliser when it got here was once good valued at the wait. A lay-off for Shaqiri perceived to take a seat up too high for the midfielder to have a shot, however the Stoke city man produced the purpose of the tournament with an acrobatic overhead volley that picked out the bottom nook and sent the journeying Swiss fanatics into raptures.
Nevertheless there was heartbreak for the massed ranks of Swiss supporters as Grzegorz Krychowiak scored the decisive penalty in the shootout, following Granit Xhaka's omit, to ship them crashing out of the event.
Poland had gone into the game with a a lot-transformed facet from the XI who beat Ukraine of their third staff C game. Skilled full-back Lukasz Piszczek got here in on the proper of defence, with Krzysztof Maczynski, Kamil Grosickin and Blaszczykowski all starting in midfield. And the preliminary signs suggested that Adam Nawalka's decision used to be right, with Poland beginning the game so much the brighter.
The group C runners-up must have taken the lead within the first minute. Overplaying on the back noticed Yann Sommer put underneath giant pressure through Robert Lewandowski, with the Switzerland goalkeeper doing superbly to disclaim the Bayern Munich ahead within the first minute. Nonetheless the rebound fell straight to Milik, only for him to lose his composure with the purpose gaping and slice a primary-time effort off-target.
A wild shot moments later printed Milik's frustration, however Poland endured to dominate possession for a lot of the primary half of and neglected an extra golden possibility on 29 minutes when Krychowiak headed well huge when left unmarked from a corner.
And it was Milik once more who wasted a splendid danger with 33 minutes on the clock, hurrying a shot over the bar when given time and house at the again post via a Lewandowski flick-on.
Switzerland -- who had made just the one trade, with Seferovic changing little one Breel Embolo up front -- in brief threatened as Fabian Schar headed straight at Fabianski and Blerim Dzemaili had a deflected shot tipped over the bar through the Swansea city goalkeeper.
However the goal that Poland hard-earned ultimately arrived on 39 minutes when Blaszczykowski slid his shot underneath an on-speeding Sommer.
Switzerland had been a lot increased as the sport unfolded after the wreck, with Shaqiri closely worried -- first entering into at the back of the Poland defence and then checking out Fabianski with a stinging shot from distance.
Poland had possibilities of their own from range -- with Lewandowski and Blaszczykowski drawing Sommer into making excellent saves -- nevertheless it used to be Shaqiri's moment of brilliance with 11 minutes closing that compelled the game into overtime.
Chances have been few and far between within the extra half-hour, despite the fact that a free header for Eren Derdiyok after a pleasant clipped cross with the aid of Shaqiri should have seen Switzerland win it, only for Fabianski to produce his 2d world-classification shop of the healthy. And a goalmouth scramble in the final minute of time beyond regulation almost saw Poland snatch it previous to the decisive shootout.
Growth to the last-eight is the primary time that Poland have reached this kind of stage of a european Championship. They are going to face the winners of Saturday evening's recreation between Croatia and Portugal, with the quarterfinal scheduled to take location on Thursday June 30 on the Stade Velodrome in Marseill
