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Poland & Mexico share the spoils in World Cup opener

Poland and Mexico settled for a share of the spoils in their FIFA World Cup opener, with Robert Lewandowski failing to score from penalty spot on Tuesday evening.

Raul Jimenez, who had not played a competitive game for Wolverhampton Wanderers since August, was named on the bench for Mexico after featuring in a friendly against Sweden.

The Poles, meanwhile, had talisman Lewandowski, who was yet to score at the World Cup, leading the line after he was rested in a friendly against Chile.

El Tri had a bright start in the opening exchanges and kept the Poland deep defence under pressure but they could not carve out clear chances.

However, Gerardo Martino's charges maintained their dominance going forward and Alexis Vega almost broke the deadlock with a header from deep that bounced just wide of the far post, with shot-stopper Wojciech Szczesny scrambling.

The Eagles struggled to get their foothold in the game, with the likes of Lewandowski and Piotr Zielinski's potential threat subdued, as they were mostly playing far away from Mexico's goal.

El Tri remained lively going forward and Jorge Sanchez came close to breaking the deadlock on the stroke of half-time with swerving shot from the right flank that drew a reflex save from Szczesny.

Poland continued to absorb the pressure early in the second stanza but they had more fight and urgency on counter-attacks.

The Poles' resolve earned them a penalty ten minutes from the interval from a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review after Hector Moreno pulled Lewandowski's shirt in a tussle in the box. The Barcelona striker stepped up but his side-footed penalty was saved by goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.

Mexico got back quickly in attack, as Henry Martin came close to breaking the deadlock with an improvised flicked header but Szczesny pulled off a stunning reflex save.

As the game opened up, Martino eventually brought on Jimenez with 20 minutes remaining in place of Martin for fresh legs upfront.

The sides went all out in the closing stages, with end to end attacks but nothing concrete came from the threats, as the game ended goalless.

A point apiece between the sides in Group C favoured Argentina after their shock loss against Saudi Arabia earlier in the afternoon. 

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