Poland clash halted as exploding object almost hits Lewandowski

Poland’s World Cup qualifier against Romania was halted for close to 10 minutes after Robert Lewandowski was almost struck by what appeared to be a flare thrown from the crowd.

The object exploded close to the Bayern Munich striker as Poland were preparing to defend a corner in the second half in Bucharest.

Friday’s game was paused for several minutes as Lewandowski received treatment, after going to ground holding his face.

The incident was one of a number to mar the encounter, with another flare reportedly having burned part of one of the goal nets, while some rival supporters clashed in the stands.

The 28-year-old later struck a second goal for Poland following Kamil Grosicki’s first-half opener, before converting a penalty in injury time to secure his side’s 3-0 win.

The victory moved Poland to the top of Group E, three points ahead of Montenegro, who surrendered a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 to Armenia earlier on Friday.