Matty Cash and Poland Suffer 3-1 Defeat to Sweden in Nations League

Poland suffered a 3-1 defeat (1-1 at half-time) away to Sweden in their second match of the UEFA Nations League League B on Monday, 28 September 2026. Under head coach Jan Urban, the Polish national team reverted to a three-centre-back formation, with Matty Cash deployed as the right wing-back, according to reports by WP SportoweFakty and Sport.pl.

Match Events Involving Matty Cash

According to the live text commentary by AS.com, the Aston Villa defender was heavily involved from the outset:

• 3rd minute: Matty Cash registered an early shot from the left side of the penalty area following an assist by Mateusz Żukowski, but the Swedish goalkeeper stopped it right on the goal line.
• 7th minute: After a foul committed by Cash, Sweden won a corner kick; following a cross by Besfort Zeneli and a knock-down by Victor Lindelöf, Benjamin Nygren headed in the opening goal for Sweden (1-0).
• 23rd minute: Piotr Zieliński played a through ball to Cash, who was caught offside.
• 44th minute: Cash conceded a foul on Besfort Zeneli on the left flank.
• 47th minute (half-time whistle): A long-range left-footed shot by Cash (assisted by Sebastian Szymański) was blocked.
• 55th minute: Cash struck a right-footed shot from distance following a pass from Żukowski, which narrowly missed the left post.
• 75th minute: Matty Cash was substituted off as part of a triple change by Jan Urban, with Michał Skóraś replacing the Aston Villa full-back alongside incoming changes for Piotr Zieliński and Sebastian Szymański.

The turning point regarding the scoreline arrived in the 71st minute when Sweden extended their lead to 3-1. Patrik Wålemark delivered a cross from Poland's left wing, and Viktor Gyökeres fired a close-range shot into the top corner.

Defensive Mix-up and Przemysław Wiśniewski's Comments

Analysing the third goal, Sport.pl reported that three Polish defenders (Jan Bednarek, Matty Cash, and Przemysław Wiśniewski) were in the goal area alongside two Swedes (Gyökeres and Sebastian Nanasi). Cash was tracking Nanasi man-for-man towards the near post. Centre-back Przemysław Wiśniewski also reacted to Nanasi's movement, which left Viktor Gyökeres completely unmarked at the far post to score.

Speaking to Kanał Sportowym after the match, Przemysław Wiśniewski addressed the communication breakdown:

“I talked about it with Matty, maybe there was a bit of a lack of communication between the two of us,” Wiśniewski said, as quoted by Sport.pl.

Wiśniewski explained the defensive responsibilities in that particular variant, noting that differences in habits picked up from club football (such as playing in a zonal defensive system in Italy versus man-to-man duties) might have contributed to the mix-up.

Despite creating several attacking moments during his time on the pitch, Matty Cash and his national teammates were ultimately unable to prevent the defeat in Solna.