Lewandowski admits he found it tough against the Russia defence

The Borussia Dortmund striker played as Poland's lone striker once again and had to deal with the attentions of five opponents at times in the 1-1 draw on Tuesday night

Poland striker Robert Lewandowski admitted he found it tough against the Russia defence during the 1-1 draw on Tuesday night as he battled with several opponents.

The match itself has been overshadowed by violence between supporters of the two nations beforehand, but Russia took the lead in the first-half as Alan Dzagoev glanced Andrei Arshavin’s free-kick into the far corner. Jakub Blaszczykowski’s great finish secured a point for the co-hosts.

With Lewandowski once again Poland’s lone striker the Borussia Dortmund forward often cut an isolated figure up front and he had to compete with Russian defence by himself at times.

"I have learned today something new, it was not easy to play against four, five defenders," Lewandowski told reporters.

"I had to work a lot for the team. I think we were today physically stronger than in the last game - the Russians had some problems with us and I think the Czechs will too.

"If I will get the support of my team mates then I will create some more chances. We must play very composed and without any hectic actions against the Czechs."

Poland’s target for the competition is to simply get past the group stage, with their progression now resting on their match against the Czech Republic.

Lewandowski, meanwhile, also admitted that he is annoyed with how the co-hosts defended Russia’s goal.

"Our aim is the qualification for the quarter-final," he noted. "We have now two draws and in the next game we must win.

"It is unlucky that we have conceded a header from one of their smallest players. I have said that we should stay on the line during the free kick, but we have not done that and the Russians could score due to the confusion of the players in the area."

Chelsea’s Russian owner Roman Abramovich was in attendance at the match, but Lewandowski claims managers and directors watching him has little effect on his game.

"There are also a lot of other important managers at the Bundesliga matches and I do not really care about it," he insisted. "It is for me personally important to show now the best performance at the Euros for Poland."