Poland coach Adam Nawalka has backed star striker Robert Lewandowski to come good after watching his side ease into the Euro 2016 knockout stages with a 1-0 win over Ukraine.
Lewandowski missed a golden opportunity to break his duck in the tournament before half-time substitute Jakub Blaszczykowski finished off a wonderfully worked move to grab the only goal of the game.
Victory took the Poles, who have yet to concede a goal in the tournament, into a last 16 clash with Switzerland while Ukraine head home without a point or a goal from their three Group C games.
Nawalka said: "That Lewandowski hasn't scored for us yet is not a problem whatsoever.
"He is doing a lot of hard work and has had a big influence on our wins and how we have played. He's incredibly important to us.
"He plays in a supportive way throughout and it's just a matter of time for him. He's creating a lot of chances and I think he'll score in the next match."
Nawalka also confirmed match-winner Blaszczykowski is likely to be rewarded for his impact in Marseille by earning a starting spot against the Swiss.
He added: "Blaszczykowski is an important player for us - he's very experienced and has a great influence on how we play - he proved that tonight.
"He increased the quality of our play and I'll count on him in the coming matches. He will start against Switzerland.
"We have prepared some information on Switzerland. They play at a high level and they're one of the more interesting teams at this tournament (but) we have faith and optimism that we'll go further."
The future of Ukraine coach Mykhaylo Fomenko remains unclear after his side ended their dismal campaign with an improved performance but the same result.
Fomenko had appeared to intimate to Ukrainian media that the game against Poland would be his last after Ukraine were eliminated from the tournament with defeat to Northern Ireland.
But while his fate appears almost certain, Fomenko appeared to back-track slightly on Tuesday and imply he had not come to a definite decision.
Fomenko said: "When you work with a national team and you don't get a positive result you have to think about things - only then can I answer your question about my future.
"I don't have any complaints about my players today because we played football. I hope they use this experience. If they work hard on the pitch they will eventually take their chances in front of goal."
Lewandowski missed a golden opportunity to break his duck in the tournament before half-time substitute Jakub Blaszczykowski finished off a wonderfully worked move to grab the only goal of the game.
Victory took the Poles, who have yet to concede a goal in the tournament, into a last 16 clash with Switzerland while Ukraine head home without a point or a goal from their three Group C games.
Nawalka said: "That Lewandowski hasn't scored for us yet is not a problem whatsoever.
"He is doing a lot of hard work and has had a big influence on our wins and how we have played. He's incredibly important to us.
"He plays in a supportive way throughout and it's just a matter of time for him. He's creating a lot of chances and I think he'll score in the next match."
Nawalka also confirmed match-winner Blaszczykowski is likely to be rewarded for his impact in Marseille by earning a starting spot against the Swiss.
He added: "Blaszczykowski is an important player for us - he's very experienced and has a great influence on how we play - he proved that tonight.
"He increased the quality of our play and I'll count on him in the coming matches. He will start against Switzerland.
"We have prepared some information on Switzerland. They play at a high level and they're one of the more interesting teams at this tournament (but) we have faith and optimism that we'll go further."
The future of Ukraine coach Mykhaylo Fomenko remains unclear after his side ended their dismal campaign with an improved performance but the same result.
Fomenko had appeared to intimate to Ukrainian media that the game against Poland would be his last after Ukraine were eliminated from the tournament with defeat to Northern Ireland.
But while his fate appears almost certain, Fomenko appeared to back-track slightly on Tuesday and imply he had not come to a definite decision.
Fomenko said: "When you work with a national team and you don't get a positive result you have to think about things - only then can I answer your question about my future.
"I don't have any complaints about my players today because we played football. I hope they use this experience. If they work hard on the pitch they will eventually take their chances in front of goal."
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