Poland aim for rare group stage progress in Russia

Soccer Football - International Friendly - Poland vs South Korea - Silesian Stadium, Chorzow, Poland - March 27, 2018 Poland's Kamil Grosicki celebrates scoring their second goal with Robert Lewandowski REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

(Reuters) - Poland will arrive in Russia aiming to get past the group stage at the World Cup for the first time in 32 years as they return to the finals after a 12-year absence.

The golden era for Poland, which saw them take third place at the 1974 and 1982 tournaments, ended when Brazil beat Poland 4-0 in the last 16 at the 1986 finals in Mexico.