Gibraltar 0-7 Poland: Ruthless Poles rock Gibraltar

Gibraltar’s first-ever senior competitive game ended in a 7-0 thumping by Poland in their opening Euro 2016 Group D qualifying match last night.

Gibraltar line up for their first ever competitive clash. Picture: AP

Robert Lewandowski scored four, Kamil Grosicki fired in two and Lukas Szukala also got onto the scoresheet in a predictably one-sided match at Estadio Do Algarve.

Gibraltar, Uefa’s newest member and a country with a population of around 30,000, were accepted by the European governing body in May 2013 following a 14-year battle.

They face a tough test to progress from Group D with a team predominantly made up of amateurs.

Poland took the lead in the tenth minute through Grosicki’s low strike to set the tone for the rest of the match. The visitors doubled their advantage early in the second half when Grosicki was given acres of time and space in the box as Gibraltar’s defence stood off and the Rennes midfielder picked his spot.

Lewandowski added the third in the 50th minute when he headed in from close range and scored his second and Poland’s fourth shortly after.

Szukala then rose highest to head the fifth from a free-kick – meaning Poland had scored four within ten second-half minutes.

In the 80th minute Lewandowski raced towards goal and coolly beat Jordan Perez, and the prolific forward added his fourth in the first minute of stoppage time to compound Gibraltar’s misery in what was a bittersweet arrival in international football.