Chile hold Poland in World Cup tune-up

Poland played out a 2-2 draw with Chile in their first international friendly ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

The hosts built up a 2-0 lead in front of some 42,000 fans at Poznan's INEA Stadium here on Friday. But Chile, who failed to qualify for the World Cup, battled back, reports EFE news agency.

While the Chileans displayed some offensive flair in the opening minutes, the first chance went to Poland, a rocket by Karol Linetty in the 26th minute that tested visiting goalkeeper Gabriel Arias.

Three minutes later, Robert Lewandowski exploited a Chilean miscue to open the scoring for Poland, who doubled their lead in the 33rd minute with a goal by Piotr Zielinski that was likewise the result of a mistake by a Chile defender.

Undaunted, the Chileans pressed forward and the reward came in the 38th minute, when Angelo Sagal barreled down the left side and got the ball to Diego Valdes, who beat Polish keeper Wojciech Szczesny with a thunderous header.

Chile turned up the intensity in the second half, nearly overwhelming the hosts, and Miiko Albornoz got the equaliser in the 56th minute.

Poland are drawn in Group H at the World Cup, with Senegal, Colombia, and Japan.

--IANS

ajb/