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."
With next summer's duties taken care of, Szemik has to quickly turn her attention to the Barclays Women’s Super League as the women’s team prepare to welcome Crystal Palace to Chigwell Construction Stadium tomorrow - the start of a three-game week for Rehanne Skinner’s side.
The Hammers will then focus on securing their spot in the quarter-final of the Women’s League Cup on Wednesday at home to Southampton prior to their final match before the Christmas break, a trip to Aston Villa next Sunday.
A pivotal London derby awaits this weekend, and Szemik is relishing the chance to return in front of the Claret and Blue faithful, determined to send them home happy with another three points in Dagenham.
The Hammers’ No1 said: “Coming back from international duty isn’t the easiest, as we’ve played two games and now we’re straight back into Club matches. I’ve had the high of qualifying with Poland, but now I’m focusing on the game against Crystal Palace.
“I’m positive ahead of the game on Sunday. We have a plan for the game and we’re going to do anything and everything we can do to win this weekend.
“Taking care of ourselves this week and next is going to be even more important than usual. You won’t have the time to rest fully. I just hope everyone will do their best to stay fit and will be locked in to do their best over the next three games.
“I love playing at home in front of our fans, it’s always been great and I look forward to it. I hope we get out there and show them we’re capable of winning these games because the margin between us winning or losing has been so close this season. We’ll do everything we can to make the fans happy this weekend.”
