Poland thrash 10-man Estonia to face Wales for Euro 2024 spot

WARSAW: Poland hammered lacklustre Estonia 5-1 in their Euro 2024 playoff semi-final on Thursday after the visitors were left with 10 men before the half-hour mark.

Poland will travel to Cardiff on Tuesday to face Wales in the Path A final after Rob Page’s side beat Finland 4-1 in the other semi-final clash. The Poles overwhelmed powerless Estonia who rarely left their own half and had no goal attempt until midfielder Martin Vetkal pulled back a consolation goal in the 78th minute.

Przemyslaw Frankowski put Poland ahead in the 22nd minute, when he received an elegant pass from Jakub Piotrowski to score with a low finish, and Piotr Zielinski doubled the lead after the break, nodding home a cross from Nicola Zalewski.

Piotrowski made it 3-0 with a shot from a distance in the 70th minute, three minutes before Estonia defender Karol Mets gifted Poland their fourth with an own goal, and Sebastian Szymanski bundled in the fifth from close range.

Estonia went down to 10 men in the 27th minute when defender Maksim Paskotsi saw his second yellow card for a challenge on Zalewski. Poland finished third in qualifying Group E behind Albania and Czech Republic while Estonia were last in Group F but, like the other semi-finalists, they made it to the play-offs via the UEFA Nations League.