Senegal opened the scoring 37 minutes in after Idrissa Gueye's powerful shot on goal was deflected into the net off Polish defender Thiago Cionek.
Forward Mbaye Niang made it 2-0 on the hour mark. He capitalized on Poland midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak's poor back pass, which left goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny stranded and was left with the simplest of tasks to slot the ball into an empty net.
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Krychowiak spared at least some of his blushes with minutes to go as he pulled one back for Poland with a header, but his effort was not enough as Senegal hung on for a 2-1 victory. Russia's first-ever FIFA World Cup will last till July 15, with a total of 64 matches set to be held at 12 stadiums across 11 cities.