Poland and Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has been dealt an extra blow after his Poland side were eliminated from the World Cup, with Spanish footballing body RFEF confirming he will face a three-match ban.
Lewandowski scored twice in the tournament, once in a group stage victory over Saudi Arabia and once in a last-16 defeat against reigning champions France. He also missed a penalty in Poland's opener, a goalless draw against Mexico at Stadium 974.
Barcelona's season will get back underway on December 31, with a derby against Espanyol in LaLiga. Their top scorer won't be involved, though, with RFEF confirming the punishment heading his way following a red card sustained before the mid-season break.
Lewandowski was sent off for two yellow cards in Barca's final league outing before the break, with unused substitute Gerard Pique also dismissed. Xavi's team won the game, but Lewandowski's actions after his dismissal have seen his ban extended to three games.
As reported by Sport, Barcelona appealed the first booking and the additional suspension, which came after gestures he made in the aftermath of the red card. These came to nothing, though, and the club will now need to decide whether to take an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the offence concerns gestures made in the direction of the referee who showed him his marching orders. "Addressing the referees, managers or sports authorities in terms or with attitudes of contempt or inconsideration provided that the action does not constitute a foul more serious, it will be sanctioned with a suspension of two to three games or for a period of up to one month," the relevant rule reads.
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Lewandowski's goal for Poland against France was too little, too late. Olivier Giroud became Les Bleus' all-time leading scorer when he broke the deadlock late in the first half, and two impressive efforts from Kylian Mbappe put the game out of sight before Poland got one back in second half stoppage-time.
“The only objective for me is to win the World Cup,” said Mbappe. The Paris Saint-Germain star moved clear in the Golden Boot rankings with his brace in the round of 16, but has his sights set on a second straight World Cup after netting in the final in 2018.
“I came here to win the World Cup, not the Golden Boot. That’s not why I’m here. I’m here to win with the team. If I win the Golden Boot, then I’d obviously be happy, but the team is the most important thing.
“We’re delighted to reach the quarter-finals. We scored the goals at important moments and we ended up winning, so we’re delighted with that.”
