Dominance in Katowice

Poland under-21 defeated Sweden under-21 with a 3-0 scoreline at Arena Katowice on Wednesday, maintaining a perfect record in the Euro under-21 2027 qualifying campaign. The victory arrived two days after Poland's senior team suffered a 1-3 defeat to Sweden in the Nations League in Solna. Playing their first qualifying fixture in six months, the under-21 squad controlled territorial possession from the start, restricting the Swedish side to two shots in the first half. Poland created early opportunities through Marcel Krajewski and Dawid Drachal following deliveries by Maxi Oyedele and Michal Gurgul. The opening goal came in the 40th minute when captain Tomasz Pienko set up debutant Bartosz Mazurek. The 19-year-old midfielder fired a low shot from outside the penalty box past goalkeeper Elis Jager to give Poland the lead.

Breakthrough and debut goals

The hosts continued to dictate play in the second half without making halftime substitutions. In the 58th minute, Daniel Mikolajewski won possession near the Swedish penalty area and crossed into the box, allowing Mazurek to head the ball home for his second goal of the evening. Polish head coach Jerzy Brzeczek then refreshed his lineup on the hour mark, introducing Jakub Zewlakow and Daniel Bak for Drachal and Mikolajewski, with Igor Stalmach replacing Milosz Matysik in the 85th minute. Jager saved attempts from Pienko and Zewlakow, but conceded a third in the 91st minute. Bak scored from close range after Jager pushed away an effort from Marcel Krajewski.

Squad adjustments under Brzeczek

The match required extensive squad reshaping for Brzeczek due to absences and promotions to the senior team. Key under-21 regulars including Kacper Urbanski, Oskar Pietuszewski, Wiktor Nowak, and Marcel Regula joined Jan Urban's senior roster, while midfielder Antoni Kozubal was sidelined by injury. In total, Brzeczek was without ten players who had featured in earlier rounds of the campaign. Mazurek, who recently transferred from Jagiellonia Bialystok to Red Bull Salzburg, marked his debut with two goals. Defender Michal Gurgul explained the squad's approach before kickoff.

“We have our own qualifiers, we focus on ourselves. We know how the first match with Sweden looked away, we know that many changes occurred in their squad, and we had to prepare well.”

Group E standings and qualification path

The result leaves Poland at the top of Group E with 27 points from nine consecutive wins, having scored 26 goals and conceded two across the qualifying cycle. Poland remains the only side among the 51 nations in European under-21 qualifying with a 100% winning record. Second-placed Italy holds 21 points from eight games prior to their away match against Armenia on Thursday. If Italy drops points in Armenia, Poland will clinch direct qualification before the final group matchday. If Italy wins, the group winner will be decided in a direct meeting between Italy and Poland on Monday, 5 October. The Euro under-21 tournament takes place in Albania and Serbia between 11 June and 4 July 2027, with nine group winners and the best runner-up advancing directly. The top three finishers in the final tournament will qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Poland (9 matches)27

Italy (8 matches)21

Poland (9 matches)

27 points

Italy (8 matches)

21 points

Data from the article text