Kinga Szemik returned to Chadwell Heath yesterday as a history maker.
Keeping two clean sheets in a pair of 1-0 victories against Austria, the shot-stopper helped Poland qualify for their first-ever major tournament as they booked their spot at next summer’s Women’s Euro 2025, in Switzerland.
Following last Friday’s win, Poland had to wait until the 94th minute to seal the tie when their skipper Ewa Pajor slammed the ball home from close range to spark scenes of jubilation between the players.
Szemik was overjoyed by her side’s achievements but was quick to recognise the bigger picture. Now etched in history, the goalkeeper hopes the heroics of this week will inspire the younger generation to follow in her footsteps on the international stage.
“It’s been an amazing time for us, for Poland,” she smiled. “We qualified for the Euros for the first time ever, so I’m incredibly proud of that, incredibly proud of the team.
“I still can’t believe it, I’m still processing the whole thing, but I’m looking forward to it [the Euros]. It's going to be great being amongst the best teams in Europe, and being able to compete and test ourselves against them.
“It was hard throughout the journey to that point of securing qualification, but I’m just so happy to be honest. I hope it’s going to be a step forward for us in Poland, to propagate women’s football even further.
“I just hope the mentality of people perceiving football as a men’s game will change with the fact that the mainstream media in Poland are talking about it [our qualification] now.
"Little girls will see all of that and maybe, in some of their heads, there will be this passion for football, and it will be easier for them than it was for us back in the day to play professionally."