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136-451: Podgorica City Stadium was built in 1945, following World War II . Before the war, Budućnost and other clubs from Podgorica played their matches in a field near that location. The stadium's original capacity was around 5,000 spectators. The stadium burned down completely in 1952, but was later rebuilt, with a new capacity of about 17,000 seats. The new stadium has four stands—west, east, south and north. In 1989, floodlights were installed in

272-659: A Neutrality Pact in April 1941, and Japan adopted the doctrine of Nanshin-ron , promoted by the Navy, which took its focus southward and eventually led to war with the United States and the Western Allies. In Europe, Germany and Italy were becoming more aggressive. In March 1938, Germany annexed Austria , again provoking little response from other European powers. Encouraged, Hitler began pressing German claims on

408-578: A cautious French probe into the Saarland . The Western Allies also began a naval blockade of Germany , which aimed to damage the country's economy and war effort. Germany responded by ordering U-boat warfare against Allied merchant and warships, which would later escalate into the Battle of the Atlantic . On 8 September, German troops reached the suburbs of Warsaw . The Polish counter-offensive to

544-642: A group with Slovakia , Slovenia , the Czech Republic , Northern Ireland and San Marino . Poland finished fifth in the group, just above San Marino , with 11 points. Poland began the campaign with a 1–1 draw against Slovenia on 6 September 2008. On 10 October, Poland beat San Marino 2–0. On 11 October, they won 2–1 against the Czech Republic. After these wins, Poland lost consecutive matches against Slovakia (2–1) and Northern Ireland (3–2). Poland then recorded their biggest ever win with

680-509: A hat-trick against the latter. The final game was against Georgia , with Poland losing 0–3. During UEFA Euro 2000 qualifying , Poland was drawn in a group with England, Sweden, Bulgaria and Luxembourg . Poland finished third, tied with England in points earned, but failed to qualify due to goal difference. Poland qualified for the 2002 World Cup , their first appearance at the World Cup since 1986 . Poland's biggest win overall in

816-533: A hat-trick from Smolarek. They beat Belgium 2–0 with two goals from Smolarek on 17 November and drew 2–2 with Serbia in the final qualifying game on the 21st, thus qualifying for the tournament as the 1st place team in the qualifying group following Portugal 's 0–0 draw with Finland . This was Poland's first ever Euro appearance. At UEFA Euro 2008, they were drawn in Group B , with Germany , Austria and Croatia . Germany and Poland played on 8 June at

952-519: A stoppage time winning goal; the defeat to Germany , following Ecuador's 3–0 win over Costa Rica , officially ended Poland's chances of advancing further than the group stage. The third and final group game saw Poland defeat Costa Rica 2–1, with Bartosz Bosacki getting on the scoresheet twice. In Euro 2008 qualifying, Poland were drawn into a group with Portugal , Serbia , Finland , Belgium , Kazakhstan , Armenia and Azerbaijan . Poland's campaign began in uncomfortable fashion, suffering

1088-468: A 1–0 win over Turkey , followed by a 2–2 draw with the Netherlands , a 1–0 win over San Marino , and a 3–0 win in the reverse fixture. Afterwards, Poland drew 1–1 with England , before falling to a 0–3 defeat in the reverse fixture. Poland would then go on to suffer consecutive defeats, losing 1–0 and 3–0 to Norway , followed by a 2–1 defeat to Turkey and a 1–3 defeat to the Netherlands in

1224-675: A 1–3 defeat to Finland on 2 September 2006 and then drawing 1–1 with Serbia on 6 September. In the third match, on 7 October, Poland won 1–0 over Kazakhstan , with Ebi Smolarek scoring the goal. On 11 October, Poland beat Portugal 2–1, with Smolarek scoring the two goals. Poland beat Belgium 1–0 on 15 November. On 24 March 2007, Poland beat Azerbaijan 5–0, and on 28 March beat Armenia 1–0. On 2 June, they beat Azerbaijan 3–1, with Smolarek and Krzynówek (2) scoring. On 6 June, Poland lost 1–0 to Armenia, on 8 September drew 2–2 with Portugal , and on 12 September drew 0–0 with Finland . On 13 October, Poland beat Kazakhstan 3–1 with

1360-458: A 2–2 draw with Montenegro , with goals from Błaszczykowski and Mierzejewski . On 11 September, they beat Moldova 2–0 with goals from Błaszczykowski and Wawrzyniak . On 17 October, Poland drew 1–1 with England , with Glik scoring the equalizing goal. On 22 March 2013, Poland lost 3–1 to Ukraine , conceding two goals in the first seven minutes alone, with Piszczek scoring Poland's only goal. On 26 March, Poland beat San Marino 5–0, with

1496-464: A 3–1 win. In the second round, Poland met three South American teams. In 1974, Poland had played and won against both Argentina and Brazil; both teams would get their revenge this time around. First, Argentina beat the Poles 2–0 with two goals from tournament top scorer Mario Kempes . Poland then defeated Peru 1–0 with a goal from Andrzej Szarmach. In Poland's last match of this World Cup, Brazil opened

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1632-510: A 4–0 defeat to Brazil . After the "Golden Era" from the 1970s and 1980s, Poland suffered a severe drought in international football; they did not qualify for three consecutive editions of the FIFA World Cup , from 1990 to 1998 . In 1990 World Cup qualifying , Poland finished third in the qualifying group , behind Sweden and England . They finished on 5 points with two wins, one draw and three defeats. They began qualifying for

1768-557: A brace from Lewandowski , and goals from Piszczek, Teodorczyk and Kosecki . On 6 September, Poland drew 1–1 with Montenegro , with Lewandowski scoring the equalizing goal only five minutes after Poland initially conceded. On 10 September, they beat San Marino 5–1, with a brace from Zieliński , and goals from Błaszczykowski, Sobota and Mierzejewski. However, Poland lost the last two games against Ukraine and England , 1–0 and 2–0, respectively. In UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying, Poland were drawn in Group D , with Germany, Scotland ,

1904-708: A joint bid by Croatia and Hungary . Poland and Ukraine's bid became the third successful joint-bid made to host the UEFA European Championship , after the Netherlands and Belgium in 2000 , and Austria and Switzerland in 2008 . Poland were drawn into Group A , with Greece, Russia and the Czech Republic. On 8 June, the opening match played between Poland and Greece at the National Stadium in Warsaw ended 1–1, with Poland taking

2040-524: A pretext to initiate the invasion. The first German attack of the war came against the Polish defences at Westerplatte . The United Kingdom responded with an ultimatum for Germany to cease military operations, and on 3 September, after the ultimatum was ignored, Britain and France declared war on Germany. During the Phoney War period, the alliance provided no direct military support to Poland, outside of

2176-781: A pretext to worsen relations. On 29 August, Hitler demanded that a Polish plenipotentiary immediately travel to Berlin to negotiate the handover of Danzig , and to allow a plebiscite in the Polish Corridor in which the German minority would vote on secession. The Poles refused to comply with the German demands, and on the night of 30–31 August in a confrontational meeting with the British ambassador Nevile Henderson , Ribbentrop declared that Germany considered its claims rejected. On 1 September 1939, Germany invaded Poland after having staged several false flag border incidents as

2312-479: A result of being the second best second-placed team in the play-offs , they qualified automatically for the finals in Germany . The biggest win of the qualifying phase for Poland was an 8–0 victory over Azerbaijan , in which Tomasz Frankowski scored a hat-trick . The biggest defeat of the qualifying phase for Poland were two defeats against England , losing both home and away games by a scoreline of 1–2. At

2448-606: A scoreline of 10–0 against San Marino . Six different players scored in the win on 1 April 2009. In the last rounds of qualifying, Poland drew 1–1 with Northern Ireland and lost to Slovenia. Poland then ended the campaign with consecutive losses to the Czech Republic and Slovakia. On 18 April 2007, in Cardiff , Poland and Ukraine were selected to host UEFA Euro 2012 by the UEFA Executive Committee . The bid defeated others from Italy, Greece, Turkey, and

2584-475: A secret protocol that defined German and Soviet "spheres of influence" (western Poland and Lithuania for Germany; eastern Poland , Finland, Estonia , Latvia and Bessarabia for the Soviet Union), and raised the question of continuing Polish independence. The pact neutralised the possibility of Soviet opposition to a campaign against Poland and assured that Germany would not have to face the prospect of

2720-666: A similar fashion to other European states, football appeared in Poland in the late 19th century. In 1888, Prof. Henryk Jordan , a court physician of the Habsburgs and the pioneer of sports in Poland, opened a sports park in Kraków 's Błonia , a large open space surrounding the demolished city walls of that town. The park, along with the Sokół society founded in 1867, became the main centres to promote sports and healthy living in Poland. It

2856-774: A similar pact and rejected ceding part of its territory to the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union invaded Finland in November 1939, and was subsequently expelled from the League of Nations for this crime of aggression. Despite overwhelming numerical superiority, Soviet military success during the Winter War was modest, and the Finno-Soviet war ended in March 1940 with some Finnish concessions of territory . In June 1940,

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2992-531: A two-front war, as it had in World War   I. Immediately afterwards, Hitler ordered the attack to proceed on 26 August, but upon hearing that the United Kingdom had concluded a formal mutual assistance pact with Poland and that Italy would maintain neutrality, he decided to delay it. In response to British requests for direct negotiations to avoid war, Germany made demands on Poland, which served as

3128-542: Is well known for close distance between pitch and stands. The Pitch was totally renovated in 2014 and today is among the best football pitches in the Balkans. Floodlights were installed in 1989 for the first nighttime match, Budućnost - Rad (First League, 28 May 1989). Twenty years later, new 1900 lux floodlights were installed. During its history, the Podgorica City Stadium was used by a few clubs and

3264-534: The 1976 Montreal Olympics . The first Polish football clubs were Lechia Lwów (1903), Czarni Lwów (1903), Pogoń Lwów (1904), KS Cracovia (1906) and Wisła Kraków (1906). The Polish national federation, called the Polish Football Union (Polski Związek Piłki Nożnej, PZPN), was founded on 20 December 1919, in Kraków when 31 delegates elected Edward Cetnarowski as the first president. The PZPN joined FIFA in 1923 and UEFA in 1955. In

3400-411: The 1986 World Cup , Poland were drawn into a group with England , Morocco and Portugal . The first match was a 0–0 draw against Morocco; in the second match, Poland beat Portugal 1–0. In the final group game, they lost 0–3 to England, but Poland still advanced into the knockout stage as a result of Morocco winning 3–1 over Portugal. In the round of sixteen , Poland were eliminated after suffering

3536-435: The 1990 edition with a 1–0 win over Albania , before losing to Sweden (2–1) and England (3–0). Poland then drew 0–0 with England , lost to Sweden 2–0 and beat Albania 2–1 in their final game, but were 4 points behind England , thus failing to qualify. In 1994 World Cup qualifying , Poland finished fourth in the qualifying group , behind Norway , the Netherlands and England . Poland began qualifying with

3672-458: The 2006 World Cup , Poland drew Germany , Ecuador and Costa Rica in Group A . Despite high hopes from the Polish press, media and fans, Poland's campaign at the World Cup was seen as an underachievement; as Poland lost two and won one game, finishing third in the group. Poland's first match was a 2–0 defeat to Ecuador , followed by a 1–0 defeat to Germany , with Oliver Neuville scoring

3808-551: The Anglo-German Naval Agreement and the German–Polish declaration of non-aggression . The situation became a crisis in late August as German troops continued to mobilise against the Polish border. On 23 August the Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact with Germany, after tripartite negotiations for a military alliance between France, the United Kingdom, and Soviet Union had stalled. This pact had

3944-689: The British Empire , with fighting in the Balkans , Mediterranean, and Middle East , the aerial Battle of Britain and the Blitz , and naval Battle of the Atlantic . Through a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany took control of much of continental Europe and formed the Axis alliance with Italy , Japan , and other countries. In June 1941, Germany led the European Axis in an invasion of

4080-613: The Buffalo Bill Wild West Show set up camp at Kraków's Błonia, right outside of the traditional playground area and Jordan's garden. On 5 August 1906 the team of the Kraków-based Jan Sobieski Gymnasium played a match against the British and American members of Buffalo Bill's troupe, winning 1–0. The only goal scored by Stanisław Szeligowski was also the first goal scored by a Polish team in an international meeting. The success led to

4216-681: The Football Association of Montenegro . It is the host stadium for the Montenegro national football team . Before the independence of Montenegro , the Podgorica City Stadium hosted the final of the Republic Cup of Montenegro . Following this tradition, Podgorica City Stadium is now the host venue of every Montenegrin Cup final. Clubs which played their host matches at the Podgorica City Stadium are: Notable matches played at

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4352-581: The German Revolution of 1918–1919 , and a democratic government, later known as the Weimar Republic , was created. The interwar period saw strife between supporters of the new republic and hardline opponents on both the political right and left. Italy, as an Entente ally, had made some post-war territorial gains; however, Italian nationalists were angered that the promises made by the United Kingdom and France to secure Italian entrance into

4488-853: The German invasion of Poland and the United Kingdom and France 's declaration of war on Germany two days later on 3 September 1939. Dates for the beginning of the Pacific War include the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War on 7 July 1937, or the earlier Japanese invasion of Manchuria , on 19 September 1931. Others follow the British historian A. J. P. Taylor , who stated that the Sino-Japanese War and war in Europe and its colonies occurred simultaneously, and

4624-579: The Hypo-Arena in Klagenfurt , Austria, with Poland losing 2–0 with two goals from Lukas Podolski . In the second game, Poland drew 1–1 with Austria , taking the lead through Brazil -born Roger Guerreiro , before conceding in the third minute of stoppage time following a controversial penalty . Poland lost 1–0 in the final group game was against Croatia and finished bottom of the group. In 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying , Poland were drawn in

4760-576: The Italian mainland , and Allied offensives in the Pacific—cost the Axis powers their initiative and forced them into strategic retreat on all fronts. In 1944, the Western Allies invaded German-occupied France at Normandy , while the Soviet Union regained its territorial losses and pushed Germany and its allies westward. At the same time, Japan suffered reversals in mainland Asia, while the Allies crippled

4896-553: The Japanese Navy and captured key islands . The war in Europe concluded with the liberation of German-occupied territories ; the invasion of Germany by the Western Allies and the Soviet Union, culminating in the fall of Berlin to Soviet troops; Hitler's suicide ; and the German unconditional surrender on 8 May 1945 . Following the refusal of Japan to surrender on the terms of the Potsdam Declaration ,

5032-695: The League of Nations as a force to preserve peace. Both Italy and Ethiopia were member nations, but the League did little when the former clearly violated Article X of the League's Covenant . The United Kingdom and France supported imposing sanctions on Italy for the invasion, but the sanctions were not fully enforced and failed to end the Italian invasion. Italy subsequently dropped its objections to Germany's goal of absorbing Austria . When civil war broke out in Spain, Hitler and Mussolini lent military support to

5168-731: The Nationalist rebels , led by General Francisco Franco . Italy supported the Nationalists to a greater extent than the Nazis: Mussolini sent more than 70,000 ground troops, 6,000 aviation personnel, and 720 aircraft to Spain. The Soviet Union supported the existing government of the Spanish Republic . More than 30,000 foreign volunteers, known as the International Brigades , also fought against

5304-467: The Republic of Ireland , Georgia and Gibraltar . On 11 October 2014, Poland beat 2014 World Cup champions Germany 2–0. Three days later, Poland drew 2–2 with Scotland . They drew 1–1 with the Republic of Ireland in March 2015 after conceding a goal from Shane Long in stoppage time. By October, they beat the Republic of Ireland to score enough points for securing automatic qualification for

5440-690: The Rome–Berlin Axis . A month later, Germany and Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact , which Italy joined the following year. The Kuomintang (KMT) party in China launched a unification campaign against regional warlords and nominally unified China in the mid-1920s, but was soon embroiled in a civil war against its former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) allies and new regional warlords . In 1931, an increasingly militaristic Empire of Japan , which had long sought influence in China as

5576-619: The Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers . Nearly all the world's countries —including all the great powers —participated, with many investing all available economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities in pursuit of total war , blurring the distinction between military and civilian resources. Tanks and aircraft played major roles , with

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5712-590: The Soviet–Japanese Neutrality Pact in April 1941. By contrast, the Germans were steadily making preparations for an attack on the Soviet Union, massing forces on the Soviet border. Hitler believed that the United Kingdom's refusal to end the war was based on the hope that the United States and the Soviet Union would enter the war against Germany sooner or later. On 31 July 1940, Hitler decided that

5848-598: The Stresa Front in April 1935 in order to contain Germany, a key step towards military globalisation ; however, that June, the United Kingdom made an independent naval agreement with Germany, easing prior restrictions. The Soviet Union, concerned by Germany's goals of capturing vast areas of Eastern Europe , drafted a treaty of mutual assistance with France. Before taking effect, though, the Franco-Soviet pact

5984-709: The Sudetenland , an area of Czechoslovakia with a predominantly ethnic German population. Soon the United Kingdom and France followed the appeasement policy of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and conceded this territory to Germany in the Munich Agreement , which was made against the wishes of the Czechoslovak government, in exchange for a promise of no further territorial demands. Soon afterwards, Germany and Italy forced Czechoslovakia to cede additional territory to Hungary, and Poland annexed

6120-707: The Tanggu Truce was signed in 1933. Thereafter, Chinese volunteer forces continued the resistance to Japanese aggression in Manchuria , and Chahar and Suiyuan . After the 1936 Xi'an Incident , the Kuomintang and CCP forces agreed on a ceasefire to present a united front to oppose Japan. The Second Italo-Ethiopian War was a brief colonial war that began in October 1935 and ended in May 1936. The war began with

6256-466: The Trans-Olza region of Czechoslovakia. Although all of Germany's stated demands had been satisfied by the agreement, privately Hitler was furious that British interference had prevented him from seizing all of Czechoslovakia in one operation. In subsequent speeches Hitler attacked British and Jewish "war-mongers" and in January 1939 secretly ordered a major build-up of the German navy to challenge British naval supremacy. In March 1939, Germany invaded

6392-506: The Treaty of Craiova . The loss of one-third of Romania's 1939 territory caused a coup against King Carol II, turning Romania into a fascist dictatorship under Marshal Ion Antonescu , with a course set towards the Axis in the hopes of a German guarantee. Meanwhile, German-Soviet political relations and economic co-operation gradually stalled, and both states began preparations for war. In April 1940, Germany invaded Denmark and Norway to protect shipments of iron ore from Sweden , which

6528-401: The United Kingdom and France to declare war on Germany. Poland was divided between Germany and the Soviet Union under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact , in which they had agreed on " spheres of influence " in Eastern Europe. In 1940, the Soviets annexed the Baltic states and parts of Finland and Romania . After the fall of France in June 1940, the war continued mainly between Germany and

6664-407: The United States in the final group game on 14 June, winning 3–1; however, the U.S. advanced to the quarter-finals after defeating Mexico in the round of 16. Despite the win, Poland finished last in the group, with a goal difference of –4 and 3 points. Poland's qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup saw eight wins and two defeats. They finished behind England in the qualifying group; but as

6800-426: The Wehrmacht rapidly advanced to the Channel and cut off the Allied forces in Belgium, trapping the bulk of the Allied armies in a cauldron on the Franco-Belgian border near Lille. The United Kingdom was able to evacuate a significant number of Allied troops from the continent by early June, although they had to abandon almost all their equipment. On 10 June, Italy invaded France , declaring war on both France and

6936-451: The aftermath of World War I and the rise of fascism in Europe and militarism in Japan . Key events leading up to the war included Japan's invasion of Manchuria , the Spanish Civil War , the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War , and Germany's annexations of Austria and the Sudetenland . World War II is generally considered to have begun on 1 September 1939, when Nazi Germany , under Adolf Hitler , invaded Poland , prompting

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7072-404: The reunification of East and West Germany to take place and resolved most post–World War   II issues. No formal peace treaty between Japan and the Soviet Union was ever signed, although the state of war between the two countries was terminated by the Soviet–Japanese Joint Declaration of 1956 , which also restored full diplomatic relations between them. World War I had radically altered

7208-505: The 57th minute. Poland's final game was played against the Czech Republic on 16 June at the Municipal Stadium , in Wrocław , where Poland lost 1–0 following a goal from Petr Jiráček . Poland finished bottom of the group with two points, prompting coach Franciszek Smuda to resign following the elimination. Poland was drawn in Group H of 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying, with England, Ukraine, Montenegro , Moldova and San Marino. On 7 September, Poland's first qualifying match ended in

7344-409: The Allies were attempting to cut off . Denmark capitulated after six hours , and despite Allied support , Norway was conquered within two months. British discontent over the Norwegian campaign led to the resignation of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain , who was replaced by Winston Churchill on 10   May 1940. On the same day, Germany launched an offensive against France . To circumvent

7480-400: The Axis war against the Soviet Union, in Romania's case partially to recapture territory ceded to the Soviet Union . In early June 1940, the Italian Regia Aeronautica attacked and besieged Malta , a British possession. From late summer to early autumn, Italy conquered British Somaliland and made an incursion into British-held Egypt . In October, Italy attacked Greece , but the attack

7616-421: The Blitz , but largely ended in May 1941 after failing to significantly disrupt the British war effort. Using newly captured French ports, the German Navy enjoyed success against an over-extended Royal Navy , using U-boats against British shipping in the Atlantic . The British Home Fleet scored a significant victory on 27   May 1941 by sinking the German battleship Bismarck . In November 1939,

7752-399: The City Stadium in Podgorica (then known as Titograd). During the 1980s, the main stand (west) was reconstructed. The new stand has a seating capacity of 6,000 and a modern roof. After the breakup of SFR Yugoslavia , the stadium underwent additional construction work. The east stand was torn down, and a new north stand was built. Capacity was reduced to 12,000. On 27 March 2015, the stadium

7888-405: The European Axis declaring war on the US. Japan conquered much of coastal China and Southeast Asia , but its advances in the Pacific were halted in mid-1942 after its defeat in the naval Battle of Midway ; Germany and Italy were defeated in North Africa and at Stalingrad in the Soviet Union. Key setbacks in 1943—including German defeats on the Eastern Front, the Allied invasions of Sicily and

8024-420: The Euros. At UEFA Euro 2016 , Poland were drawn in Group C , with Germany, Northern Ireland and Ukraine. Poland's first match was with Northern Ireland on 12 June at the Stade de Nice in Nice ; they won the game 1–0 with a goal from Arkadiusz Milik in the 51st minute. The next match was with Germany at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on 16 June; with the finishing 0–0. Poland's final group game

8160-410: The French possessions of Syria and Lebanon , assisted by the Free French . With the situation in Europe and Asia relatively stable, Germany, Japan, and the Soviet Union made preparations for war. With the Soviets wary of mounting tensions with Germany, and the Japanese planning to take advantage of the European War by seizing resource-rich European possessions in Southeast Asia , the two powers signed

8296-426: The Germans, and the last large operational unit of the Polish Army surrendered on 6   October . Despite the military defeat, Poland never surrendered; instead, it formed the Polish government-in-exile and a clandestine state apparatus remained in occupied Poland. A significant part of Polish military personnel evacuated to Romania and Latvia; many of them later fought against the Axis in other theatres of

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8432-447: The IV Gymnasium for Boys formed a club later renamed to Pogoń Lwów , while the pupils of the I and II State Schools formed the Sława Lwów club, later renamed to Czarni Lwów . In the same season the Lechia Lwów was also formed. It is uncertain which of the clubs was created first as they were initially poorly organised; however, the Czarni Lwów are usually credited as being the first Polish professional football team. The following year,

8568-450: The Nationalists. Both Germany and the Soviet Union used this proxy war as an opportunity to test in combat their most advanced weapons and tactics. The Nationalists won the civil war in April 1939; Franco, now dictator, remained officially neutral during World War   II but generally favoured the Axis . His greatest collaboration with Germany was the sending of volunteers to fight on the Eastern Front . In July 1937, Japan captured

8704-441: The Poland national team were banned from international duty, and Ryszard Kulesza resigned as head coach of the team. At the 1982 FIFA World Cup , Poland were drawn in a group with Italy , Cameroon and Peru . The first two games were consecutive 0–0 draws with Italy and Cameroon, but the final group game of the first round ended in a 5–1 win for Poland, meaning they would advance to the second round as group winners. In

8840-452: The Royal Navy putting three Italian battleships out of commission after a carrier attack at Taranto , and neutralising several more warships at the Battle of Cape Matapan . Italian defeats prompted Germany to deploy an expeditionary force to North Africa; at the end of March 1941, Rommel 's Afrika Korps launched an offensive which drove back Commonwealth forces. In less than a month, Axis forces advanced to western Egypt and besieged

8976-403: The Second Sokół Jamboree in Lwów at the General National Exhibition , a short football match was played between the Sokół members of Lwów and those from Kraków. It lasted only six minutes and was seen as a curiosity rather than a potentially popular sport. Nevertheless, it was the first recorded football match in Polish history. The Lwów team won after Włodzimierz Chomicki scored the only goal -

9112-423: The Soviet Union occupied the entire territories of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as the Romanian regions of Bessarabia, Northern Bukovina, and the Hertsa region . In August 1940, Hitler imposed the Second Vienna Award on Romania which led to the transfer of Northern Transylvania to Hungary. In September 1940, Bulgaria demanded Southern Dobruja from Romania with German and Italian support, leading to

9248-421: The Soviet Union , opening the Eastern Front and initially making large territorial gains. Japan aimed to dominate East Asia and the Asia-Pacific , and by 1937 was at war with the Republic of China . In December 1941, Japan attacked American and British territories in Southeast Asia and the Central Pacific , including Pearl Harbor in Hawaii , which resulted in the US and the UK declaring war against Japan, and

9384-418: The Soviet Union and Mongolia . The Japanese doctrine of Hokushin-ron , which emphasised Japan's expansion northward, was favoured by the Imperial Army during this time. This policy would prove difficult to maintain in light of the Japanese defeat at Khalkin Gol in 1939, the ongoing Second Sino-Japanese War and ally Nazi Germany pursuing neutrality with the Soviets. Japan and the Soviet Union eventually signed

9520-575: The Soviet Union should be eliminated and aimed for the conquest of Ukraine , the Baltic states and Byelorussia . However, other senior German officials like Ribbentrop saw an opportunity to create a Euro-Asian bloc against the British Empire by inviting the Soviet Union into the Tripartite Pact. In November 1940, negotiations took place to determine if the Soviet Union would join the pact. The Soviets showed some interest but asked for concessions from Finland, Bulgaria, Turkey, and Japan that Germany considered unacceptable. On 18 December 1940, Hitler issued

9656-402: The US dropped the first atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August. Faced with an imminent invasion of the Japanese archipelago , the possibility of further atomic bombings, and the Soviet declaration of war against Japan and its invasion of Manchuria , Japan announced its unconditional surrender on 15 August and signed a surrender document on 2 September 1945 , marking

9792-581: The United Kingdom and France guaranteed their support for Polish independence ; when Italy conquered Albania in April 1939, the same guarantee was extended to the Kingdoms of Romania and Greece . Shortly after the Franco - British pledge to Poland, Germany and Italy formalised their own alliance with the Pact of Steel . Hitler accused the United Kingdom and Poland of trying to "encircle" Germany and renounced

9928-542: The United Kingdom attacked on 3   July in an attempt to prevent its seizure by Germany. The air Battle of Britain began in early July with Luftwaffe attacks on shipping and harbours . The German campaign for air superiority started in August but its failure to defeat RAF Fighter Command forced the indefinite postponement of the proposed German invasion of Britain . The German strategic bombing offensive intensified with night attacks on London and other cities in

10064-461: The United Kingdom. The Germans turned south against the weakened French army, and Paris fell to them on 14   June. Eight days later France signed an armistice with Germany ; it was divided into German and Italian occupation zones , and an unoccupied rump state under the Vichy Regime , which, though officially neutral, was generally aligned with Germany. France kept its fleet, which

10200-660: The United States was assisting China and the Western Allies, and had amended the Neutrality Act to allow "cash and carry" purchases by the Allies. In 1940, following the German capture of Paris, the size of the United States Navy was significantly increased . In September the United States further agreed to a trade of American destroyers for British bases . Still, a large majority of the American public continued to oppose any direct military intervention in

10336-432: The World Cup for the first time since 1946. In their opening match of the 1974 World Cup, Poland met Argentina . Within eight minutes Poland were up 2–0 as Grzegorz Lato opened the scoring in the seventh minute and just a minute later Andrzej Szarmach doubled the lead. In the 60th minute, Argentina cut the lead in half when Ramon Heredia scored. Two minutes later, however, Lato scored his second, which turned out to be

10472-606: The Yellow River ; this manoeuvre bought time for the Chinese to prepare their defences at Wuhan , but the city was taken by October. Japanese military victories did not bring about the collapse of Chinese resistance that Japan had hoped to achieve; instead, the Chinese government relocated inland to Chongqing and continued the war. In the mid-to-late 1930s, Japanese forces in Manchukuo had sporadic border clashes with

10608-736: The aftermath of World War II, Poland played their first international friendly match, a 3–1 defeat against Norway in Oslo . Poland's biggest success in the early years after the war was their victory against one of Europe 's best at the time, Czechoslovakia . Poland defeated their southern neighbors 3–1. Poland suffered the worst defeat in the team's history on 26 April 1948 with a 0–8 loss to Denmark in Copenhagen. 15 years later, they posted their second highest-ever victory in Szczecin when they defeated Norway 9–0 on 4 September 1963. The game marked

10744-517: The capital Nanking in December 1937. After the fall of Nanking, tens or hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians and disarmed combatants were murdered by the Japanese . In March 1938, Nationalist Chinese forces won their first major victory at Taierzhuang , but then the city of Xuzhou was taken by the Japanese in May. In June 1938, Chinese forces stalled the Japanese advance by flooding

10880-403: The conflict well into 1941. In December 1940, Roosevelt accused Hitler of planning world conquest and ruled out any negotiations as useless, calling for the United States to become an " arsenal of democracy " and promoting Lend-Lease programmes of military and humanitarian aid to support the British war effort; Lend-Lease was later extended to the other Allies, including the Soviet Union after it

11016-526: The creation of a " New Roman Empire ". Adolf Hitler , after an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the German government in 1923, eventually became the Chancellor of Germany in 1933 when Paul von Hindenburg and the Reichstag appointed him. Following Hindenburg's death in 1934, Hitler proclaimed himself Führer of Germany and abolished democracy, espousing a radical, racially motivated revision of

11152-617: The creation of a number of teams. After the outbreak of World War I , most of the Galician football players, many of them members of either Strzelec or Sokół , joined Piłsudski's Polish Legions . The unit, fighting alongside the Austro-Hungarian Army , fought mostly in various parts of Russian-held Poland, which led to popularisation of the new sport in other parts of partitioned Poland . Eventually, Poland regained its independence in 1918. The first football federation

11288-416: The debut for Włodzimierz Lubański , who scored one goal in the game. Lubański became the all-time top scorer for Poland while playing from 1963 to 1980, scoring 48 goals in 75 appearances. The game remained their highest victory until the score was surpassed on 1 April 2009, when Poland defeated San Marino 10–0. For 1974 World Cup qualification, Poland qualified and eliminated England , who missed out on

11424-497: The directive to prepare for an invasion of the Soviet Union. Poland national football team The Poland national football team ( Polish : Reprezentacja Polski w piłce nożnej ) represents Poland in men's international football competitions since their first match in 1921. It is governed by the Polish Football Association (PZPN), the governing body for football in Poland . They are known by

11560-757: The dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman, and Russian Empires. To prevent a future world war, the League of Nations was established in 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference . The organisation's primary goals were to prevent armed conflict through collective security, military, and naval disarmament , as well as settling international disputes through peaceful negotiations and arbitration. Despite strong pacifist sentiment after World War   I , irredentist and revanchist nationalism had emerged in several European states. These sentiments were especially marked in Germany because of

11696-607: The end of May completed the German conquest of the Balkans. Partisan warfare subsequently broke out against the Axis occupation of Yugoslavia , which continued until the end of the war. In the Middle East in May, Commonwealth forces quashed an uprising in Iraq which had been supported by German aircraft from bases within Vichy-controlled Syria . Between June and July, British-led forces invaded and occupied

11832-511: The end of the war. World War II changed the political alignment and social structure of the world, and it set the foundation of international relations for the rest of the 20th century and into the 21st century. The United Nations was established to foster international cooperation and prevent conflicts, with the victorious great powers—China, France, the Soviet Union, the UK, and the US—becoming

11968-456: The final fixture. In Euro 1996 qualifying , Poland drew a qualifying group with Romania , France , Slovakia , Israel and Azerbaijan . Poland lost 2–1 to Israel in the first game, and then recorded a 1–0 win over Azerbaijan and a 0–0 draw with France . Later, Poland lost 2–1 to Romania and beat Israel 4–3 and Slovakia 5–0 before consecutive draws with France (1–1) and Romania (0–0). Poland lost 4–1 to Slovakia in

12104-402: The first game of the second round, Poland beat Belgium 3–0 with a hat-trick from Boniek securing a classic performance in the match, though the player would receive a yellow card in the following game. Nevertheless, Poland advanced as group winners to the knockout stage. However, Poland would eventually be stopped in the semi-finals, losing 0–2 to Italy ; however, they also secured a place in

12240-562: The first known goal in Polish history. This match precipitated the popularity of the new sport in Poland. Initially the rules and regulations were very simplified, with the size of the field and the ball varying greatly. Despite being discouraged by many educational societies and the state authorities, the new sport gained extreme popularity among pupils of various gymnasiums in Galicia. The first football teams were formed and in 1903–1904, four Lwów-based gymnasiums formed their own sport clubs:

12376-575: The first step of what its government saw as the country's right to rule Asia , staged the Mukden incident as a pretext to invade Manchuria and establish the puppet state of Manchukuo . China appealed to the League of Nations to stop the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. Japan withdrew from the League of Nations after being condemned for its incursion into Manchuria. The two nations then fought several battles, in Shanghai , Rehe and Hebei , until

12512-465: The first-ever goal for the national football team in that game. Poland qualified for their first World Cup in 1937 when they beat Yugoslavia 4–0 and lost 1–0 in the two qualifying matches and ensured their place in the 1938 World Cup in France . During their World Cup debut, Poland played Brazil and sent them to extra time, only to lose 6–5 . Ernest Wilimowski , who played for Ruch Chorzów at

12648-864: The former Chinese imperial capital of Peking after instigating the Marco Polo Bridge incident , which culminated in the Japanese campaign to invade all of China. The Soviets quickly signed a non-aggression pact with China to lend materiel support, effectively ending China's prior cooperation with Germany . From September to November, the Japanese attacked Taiyuan , engaged the Kuomintang Army around Xinkou , and fought Communist forces in Pingxingguan . Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek deployed his best army to defend Shanghai , but after three months of fighting, Shanghai fell. The Japanese continued to push Chinese forces back, capturing

12784-404: The group. In the second round, Poland won 1–0 against Sweden, who had not conceded any goals in their first three matches. Lato scored the only goal of the game. In the next game, Yugoslavia conceded a penalty from Poland in the 24th minute, and Stanislav Karasi tied it up for Yugoslavia in the 43rd. Lato scored the winning goal. Poland faced hosts West Germany in the rain; Gerd Müller scored

12920-525: The invasion of the Ethiopian Empire (also known as Abyssinia ) by the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy ( Regno d'Italia ), which was launched from Italian Somaliland and Eritrea . The war resulted in the military occupation of Ethiopia and its annexation into the newly created colony of Italian East Africa ( Africa Orientale Italiana , or AOI); in addition it exposed the weakness of

13056-735: The latter enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and delivery of the only two nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, resulting in 70 to 85 million deaths , more than half being civilians. Millions died in genocides , including the Holocaust of European Jews, as well as from massacres, starvation, and disease. Following the Allied powers' victory, Germany , Austria , Japan , and Korea were occupied, and war crimes tribunals were conducted against German and Japanese leaders . The causes of World War II included unresolved tensions in

13192-446: The lead in the 17th minute through Robert Lewandowski before Greece equalized in the second half through Dimitris Salpingidis in the 51st minute. Both teams went down to 10 men during the game. Poland's next game was on 12 June, again played at the National Stadium in Warsaw , with the game against Russia finishing 1–1. Russia took the lead through Alan Dzagoev in the 37th minute before Poland equalized through Błaszczykowski in

13328-556: The nicknames "The White-Reds" and "The Eagles", symbolized by their coat of arms featuring a white eagle on a red background. The team reached their peak World Ranking of 5th in 2017. Poland's home ground is the Kazimierz Górski National Stadium in Warsaw . The current head coach is Michał Probierz . Poland has competed in nine FIFA World Cups , with their first appearance being in 1938 , where they were eliminated by Brazil . The country's best result

13464-496: The penultimate qualifying game, and drew 0–0 with Azerbaijan in the final group game. In 1998 World Cup qualifying , Poland finished third behind England and Italy . They began qualifying with a 2–1 loss to England before beating Moldova (2–1) and drawing 0–0 with Italy . Afterwards, they suffered successive defeats to Italy (3–0) and England (0–2). They won the next two games with scores of 4–1 over Georgia and 3–0 over Moldova , with Andrzej Juskowiak scoring

13600-502: The permanent members of its security council . The Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers , setting the stage for the Cold War . In the wake of European devastation, the influence of its great powers waned, triggering the decolonisation of Africa and Asia . Most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery and expansion . World War II began in Europe on 1 September 1939 with

13736-518: The pitch. With the full crowd at every important match, and the architecture of the stands which are only four meters away from the pitch-lines, games of Montenegrin national team are playing in the highly-electric atmosphere. During the past years, Montenegrin FA is sanctioned by UEFA and FIFA in numerous occasions. In 2011, after the Montenegro-England match, Montenegrin ultras intruded upon

13872-480: The pitch. During the game, missiles and flares were hurled at goalkeeper Joe Hart while he was in front of Ultra Montenegro group. The same thing occurred a year later in the match between Montenegro and Poland . On 27 March 2015, Montenegro had a home match against Russia . The match was abandoned after 67 minutes due to crowd violence (during the match, the Russian goalkeeper was hit by Dmitri Kombarov , who

14008-589: The political European map with the defeat of the Central Powers —including Austria-Hungary , Germany , Bulgaria , and the Ottoman Empire —and the 1917 Bolshevik seizure of power in Russia , which led to the founding of the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, the victorious Allies of World War I , such as France, Belgium, Italy, Romania, and Greece, gained territory, and new nation-states were created out of

14144-511: The popular Varvari ( Barbarians ). Varvari often account for a large percentage of the attendance at games featuring Budućnost. They are the largest ultras group in Montenegro. Since 2006, Podgorica City Stadium has had four stands. From 1992 to 2006, there were three stands (after the old east stand was torn down). Below are the approximate capacities of each stand with technical details. The pitch measures 105 by 70 meters. The stadium

14280-658: The popularisation of football in Kraków and to creation of the first Kraków-based professional football team, KS Cracovia  – initially composed primarily of students of the Jan Sobieski Gymnasium. By the autumn of that year there were already 16 teams in Kraków, including Wisła Kraków . In 1911, a Kraków-based Union of Polish Football for Galicia was formed and entered the Austrian Football Association . The union inspired

14416-571: The popularity of the sport spread to nearby Rzeszów where Resovia Rzeszów was formed, while in the German -held part of Poland, the 1. FC Katowice and Warta Poznań were formed. On 6 June 1906, a representation of Lwów youth came to Kraków for a repeat match, this time composed of two already organised teams, the Czarni and the team of the IV Gymnasium. Kraków's representation was beaten in both meetings, 4–0 and 2–0 respectively. That summer

14552-599: The port of Tobruk . By late March 1941, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia signed the Tripartite Pact ; however, the Yugoslav government was overthrown two days later by pro-British nationalists. Germany and Italy responded with simultaneous invasions of both Yugoslavia and Greece , commencing on 6 April 1941; both nations were forced to surrender within the month. The airborne invasion of the Greek island of Crete at

14688-483: The qualifying phase was a 4–0 win over Armenia , while their biggest defeat was a 4–1 defeat to Belarus . The Polish drew a group featuring hosts South Korea , the United States and Portugal . The first match was played against the hosts on 4 June, with Poland losing 2–0. The second game was against Portugal on 10 June, which Poland lost 4–0, confirming their early elimination. Poland then played

14824-722: The remainder of Czechoslovakia and subsequently split it into the German Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and a pro-German client state , the Slovak Republic . Hitler also delivered an ultimatum to Lithuania on 20 March 1939, forcing the concession of the Klaipėda Region , formerly the German Memelland . Greatly alarmed and with Hitler making further demands on the Free City of Danzig ,

14960-458: The scoring in the 12th minute on a goal from Nelinho . Even though Lato equalized one minute before half-time, it was not to be for Poland: two goals from Roberto in the 57th and 62nd minutes wrapped up a 3–1 win for Brazil. On 29 November 1980, a dispute between players and technical staff began at a hotel in Warsaw , ending in the Okęcie Airport . Following the incident, several players of

15096-462: The significant territorial, colonial, and financial losses imposed by the Treaty of Versailles . Under the treaty, Germany lost around 13 percent of its home territory and all its overseas possessions , while German annexation of other states was prohibited, reparations were imposed, and limits were placed on the size and capability of the country's armed forces . The German Empire was dissolved in

15232-457: The stadium include: During the history, stadium in Podgorica was a place of numerous accidental situations, especially on FK Budućnost matches. Crowd violence escalated in the early 1970s, and after that—in the new century. In 2004, during a First League Budućnost- Partizan match, blocks, construction materials and similar objects were thrown from the north stand to the pitch and the match

15368-498: The start or prelude to World War II. The exact date of the war's end also is not universally agreed upon. It was generally accepted at the time that the war ended with the armistice of 15 August 1945 ( V-J Day ), rather than with the formal surrender of Japan on 2 September 1945, which officially ended the war in Asia . A peace treaty between Japan and the Allies was signed in 1951. A 1990 treaty regarding Germany's future allowed

15504-533: The strong Maginot Line fortifications on the Franco-German border, Germany directed its attack at the neutral nations of Belgium , the Netherlands , and Luxembourg . The Germans carried out a flanking manoeuvre through the Ardennes region, which was mistakenly perceived by the Allies as an impenetrable natural barrier against armoured vehicles. By successfully implementing new Blitzkrieg tactics,

15640-411: The third place play-off, where Poland beat France 3–2, with the game also being regarded as "the end of the golden era of Polish football". In 1986 FIFA World Cup qualifying , Poland finished top of their qualifying group , with 3 wins, 2 draws and 1 defeat. Poland's biggest win of the qualifying phase was a 4–1 win over Greece , while Poland's biggest defeat was a 0–2 defeat to Belgium . At

15776-686: The time, scored four of Poland's five goals. Poland played what would be their last international match before the outbreak of World War II against Hungary, the runners-up in the 1938 World Cup. Poland defeated Hungary 4–2. When the Wehrmacht invaded Poland in September 1939, all Polish institutions and associations were dissolved, including the Polish Football Association PZPN. The German occupying forces forbade Poles to organise football matches. Consequently, there

15912-645: The two wars became World War II in 1941. Other proposed starting dates for World War II include the Italian invasion of Abyssinia on 3 October 1935. The British historian Antony Beevor views the beginning of World War   II as the Battles of Khalkhin Gol fought between Japan and the forces of Mongolia and the Soviet Union from May to September 1939. Others view the Spanish Civil War as

16048-513: The war were not fulfilled in the peace settlement. From 1922 to 1925, the Fascist movement led by Benito Mussolini seized power in Italy with a nationalist, totalitarian , and class collaborationist agenda that abolished representative democracy, repressed socialist, left-wing, and liberal forces, and pursued an aggressive expansionist foreign policy aimed at making Italy a world power, promising

16184-475: The war. Germany annexed western Poland and occupied central Poland ; the Soviet Union annexed eastern Poland ; small shares of Polish territory were transferred to Lithuania and Slovakia . On 6 October, Hitler made a public peace overture to the United Kingdom and France but said that the future of Poland was to be determined exclusively by Germany and the Soviet Union. The proposal was rejected and Hitler ordered an immediate offensive against France, which

16320-512: The west halted the German advance for several days, but it was outflanked and encircled by the Wehrmacht . Remnants of the Polish army broke through to besieged Warsaw . On 17 September 1939, two days after signing a cease-fire with Japan , the Soviet Union invaded Poland under the supposed pretext that the Polish state had ceased to exist. On 27 September, the Warsaw garrison surrendered to

16456-407: The winning goal as Carlos Babington gave Argentina their second in the 66th. Poland won 3–2. Poland has won Haiti 7–0 in their second game, with a hat-trick from Szarmach and two goals from Lato. In their final match of the group stage, Poland met Italy . Poland were already through to the second round but needed at least a draw to win the group. Poland defeated Italy 2–1, finishing at the top of

16592-400: The winning goal in the 76th minute for West Germany. The Poles eventually defeated Brazil in the third place match. In 1978 World Cup qualifying , Poland denied Portugal their second World Cup appearance and their first in 12 years. In the World Cup, Grzegorz Lato scored the only goal against African side Tunisia in the second match. In the final first-round match Poland met Mexico , with

16728-707: The world order , and soon began a massive rearmament campaign . France, seeking to secure its alliance with Italy, allowed Italy a free hand in Ethiopia , which Italy desired as a colonial possession. The situation was aggravated in early 1935 when the Territory of the Saar Basin was legally reunited with Germany, and Hitler repudiated the Treaty of Versailles, accelerated his rearmament programme, and introduced conscription. The United Kingdom, France and Italy formed

16864-614: Was invaded by Germany. The United States started strategic planning to prepare for a full-scale offensive against Germany. At the end of September 1940, the Tripartite Pact formally united Japan, Italy, and Germany as the Axis powers . The Tripartite Pact stipulated that any country—with the exception of the Soviet Union—that attacked any Axis Power would be forced to go to war against all three. The Axis expanded in November 1940 when Hungary , Slovakia , and Romania joined. Romania and Hungary later made major contributions to

17000-529: Was Jordan who began promoting football as a healthy sport in the open air; some sources also credit him with bringing the first football to Poland from his travels to Brunswick in 1890. Other source mentions Dr. Edmund Cenar as the one to bring the first ball and the one to translate The Cambridge Rules and parts of the International Football Association Board regulations to Polish language . On 14 July 1894, during

17136-409: Was a quarter-final appearance at the 2016 tournament before losing to eventual champions Portugal . Overall, they have competed in five European Championships since their debut in 2008 . They were co-hosts of the 2012 edition , along with Ukraine. Overall, Poland's best ever result at an international football tournament was gold won at the 1972 Munich Olympics , along with the silver medal at

17272-926: Was established on 25 June 1911 in Lwów as the Polish Football Union ( Związek Polski Piłki Nożnej ). After World War I , members of PFU established the Polish Football Federation ( Polski Związek Piłki Nożnej ) in Warsaw on 20 December 1919. Two years later, they appointed Hungarian-born Jesza Poszony as the first coach of the Polish national team. Poland played its first official international match on 18 December 1921 in Budapest , losing to Hungary 1–0. Their first international victory came on 28 May 1922 when they took on Sweden in Stockholm and beat them 2–1. Józef Klotz scored

17408-569: Was halted for 15 minutes. A year later, the Budućnost- Red Star Belgrade match was suspended for two hours after home supporters ( Varvari ) threw tear gas on the pitch and, after that, attacked visitors' ultras. In spring 2006, there was crowd violence in a match between Budućnost and Zeta . In the Montenegrin First League , numerous matches of FK Budućnost were suspended due to crowd violence or crowd-invasion to

17544-594: Was hit by an object). The original score was 0-0 and Russia missed a penalty moments before the match was abandoned. Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was hit by a flare, causing a second 33-minute delay. After that game, barriers were constructed in the upper portions of the stadium to prevent similar incidents in the future. 42°26′41.02″N 19°15′51.76″E  /  42.4447278°N 19.2643778°E  / 42.4447278; 19.2643778 World War II Asia-Pacific Mediterranean and Middle East Other campaigns Coups World War II or

17680-782: Was no national team. Nine former national players were murdered by the German occupying forces. Three of them were killed in Auschwitz: Marian Einbacher , Adam Knioła (both Warta Poznań ) and Antoni Łyko ( Wisła Kraków ). Stefan Fryc ( Cracovia ) and Bronisław Makowski (Wisła Kraków), who were both active in the resistance, were killed in mass shootings. Four Jewish players were murdered in Jewish ghettos: Józef Klotz , Zygmunt Krumholz (both Jutrzenka Kraków ), Leon Sperling (Cracovia) and Zygmunt Steuermann ( Hasmonea Lwów ), brother of actress and Hollywood screenwriter Salka Viertel . On 11 June 1946, following

17816-403: Was postponed until the spring of 1940 due to bad weather. After the outbreak of war in Poland, Stalin threatened Estonia , Latvia , and Lithuania with military invasion, forcing the three Baltic countries to sign pacts allowing the creation of Soviet military bases in these countries; in October 1939, significant Soviet military contingents were moved there. Finland refused to sign

17952-772: Was repulsed with heavy Italian casualties; the campaign ended within months with minor territorial changes. To assist Italy and prevent Britain from gaining a foothold, Germany prepared to invade the Balkans, which would threaten Romanian oil fields and strike against British dominance of the Mediterranean. In December 1940, British Empire forces began counter-offensives against Italian forces in Egypt and Italian East Africa . The offensives were successful; by early February 1941, Italy had lost control of eastern Libya, and large numbers of Italian troops had been taken prisoner. The Italian Navy also suffered significant defeats, with

18088-557: Was required to go through the bureaucracy of the League of Nations, which rendered it essentially toothless. The United States, concerned with events in Europe and Asia, passed the Neutrality Act in August of the same year. Hitler defied the Versailles and Locarno Treaties by remilitarising the Rhineland in March 1936, encountering little opposition due to the policy of appeasement . In October 1936, Germany and Italy formed

18224-472: Was the site of an abandoned match when the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier between Montenegro and Russia was dismissed by the referees to ensure the safety of the players. Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev had been struck in the head by a flare and was sent to a hospital as a result. Russia was awarded a 3-0 result by UEFA as a result of the match abandonment. The north stand is the home of Budućnost fans,

18360-462: Was third place, which Poland achieved in 1974 and 1982 ; this era is regarded as the golden era of Polish international football. Individually, Grzegorz Lato won the Golden Shoe at the 1974 FIFA World Cup having scored seven goals. The country's most recent result at the event was reaching round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup . At the UEFA European Championship , Poland's best result

18496-402: Was with Ukraine on 21 June, at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille , a game they won 1–0 with a goal from Jakub Błaszczykowski . In the round of sixteen , Poland were drawn to play Switzerland on 25 June at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Étienne . Poland took the lead through a goal from Błaszczykowski, but conceded a bicycle kick from Xherdan Shaqiri in the 82nd minute, finishing

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