AL RAYYAN, Qatar - The biggest name on the pitch at the Education City Stadium on Saturday evening cut a frustrated figure for most of his time on it.

As the jeers tumbled down from the stands every time he touched the ball – they began even during the warm-up – Poland skipper Robert Lewandowski appeared as though he would rather be elsewhere during his nation’s Group C clash against Saudi Arabia, whose fans filled the stands and made it effectively a home game for their team.

He even got into more arguments with Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio than took shots at goal.

But Lewandowski, the Fifa Men’s Player of the Year for two years running, developed his lofty reputation as one of the game’s best strikers by being ruthlessly clinical. That he was once again, against the Saudis.

In the 82nd minute, he pounced on a lapse in concentration by Saudi midfielder Abdulelah Al-Malki, nicked the ball with one touch of his right boot, and coolly finished past goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais with a second touch with his left.

The goal eased jangling Polish nerves and sealed a 2-0 win – Piotr Zielinski scored in the 39th minute against the run of play – and kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the knock-out stages for the first time since 1986.

Poland, and Lewandowski, had blanked in the goal-less draw with Mexico in their tournament opener on Tuesday, with the 34-year-old superstar missing a penalty.

Presented with an opportunity to make amends against the Saudis, he was not going to miss again.

He finally broke his duck at the World Cup in his fifth game, having blanked in 2018.

It was an uncharacteristically long wait for a player who holds the record for most caps and most goals for Poland, one regarded as a talisman for his nation.

In 2021, he was awarded the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta “for outstanding sports achievements, for promoting Poland on the international stage”, and even has a street in the south of the country named after him.

With the added pressure from the accolades and age catching up, it was no wonder he wept as his teammates piled on top of him.

“The older I get, the more emotional I get,” Yahoo Sport quoted Lewandowski as saying. “I’m aware when it comes to the World Cup, it might be my last.

“When you play for the national squad, you have to focus on the results, but some per cent of my identity also wanted me to have good statistics.

“I always wanted to score at the World Cup, and this dream came true.”

Saudi Arabia had been seeking a win that would have made them the first team in Qatar to qualify for the knockout rounds.

They had sensationally stunned tournament favourites Argentina, led by seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi on Tuesday – a historic upset which was marked by a public holiday in the kingdom – and the Green Falcons had been seeking to reach the tournament’s last 16 for the first time in 28 years.

And they had the backing of thousands of Saudis who had flooded in from across the border, some on flights, some driving over.

Saudi Arabia ranks third on the list of ticket-purchasing countries for the tournament, according to Fifa sales numbers, and it was evident with them making up over 90 per cent of the 44,259 fans in the stadium, where a partially closed roof amplified the noise they generated.

Buoyed by the raucous crowd that roared every shot, tackle and dribble they made, Saudi Arabia’s players started brightly and in the 12th minute, midfielder Mohamed Kanno saw his powerful shot tipped over by Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.

But the Arab side struggled to carve out clear scoring opportunities, and instead conceded against the run of play when Zielinski hammered home from close range five minutes before the break.

The Saudis had a golden chance to equalise from the penalty spot before the break but Salem Al-Dawsari saw his penalty saved by Szczesny, who then also superbly denied Mohammed Al-Burayk on the rebound.

Poland could have racked up the goals playing on the counter-attack - Arkadiusz Milik hit the crossbar, and then upright inside two minutes – before Lewandowski made his key contribution close to full-time.

By the end, the statistics told their own story.

According to Fifa, the Saudis had 57 per cent of possession compared to about 30 per cent for Poland, with the ball in contest for the remainder. The Asians also fashioned 16 attempts at goal, double that of their opponents.

But as Lewandowski and his countrymen trotted off the pitch in Al Rayyan to jeers from the disgruntled Saudi fans who remained, they could be satisfied with their afternoon’s work in the knowledge that ultimately quality and efficiency – both of which are the Barcelona star’s speciality – mattered over quantity.