Following the missile strike in his country that claimed two lives, Robert Lewandowski claimed on Friday that the Polish World Cup team had been in shock earlier in the week.
Two persons were killed after a rocket landed in the Polish village of Przewodow close to the Ukrainian border on Tuesday.
This has raised fears of an escalation in the conflict between Ukraine and the invading Russian army.
Both Warsaw and NATO have said the explosion was likely caused by a Ukrainian air defence missile launched to intercept a massive Russian barrage targeting civilian infrastructure.
Lewandowski and his teammates were in Warsaw at the time preparing for a friendly the next day against Chile ahead of the Qatar extravaganza.
“It was not an easy moment, everyone was waiting for explanations, for some information,” said the Barcelona forward, speaking from Poland’s training base in Doha.
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“Unfortunately it hit people who died. This is definitely a very difficult situation.”
Lewandowski said concerns eased after indications the missile strike was not a direct attack by Russia.
“After it got clearer what happened, we were a little bit calmer. And at the same time we had to refocus on what we are doing,” said the 34-year-old.
“I hope it is a one-time occurrence … and that it won’t happen again.”
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