Poland drop keeper Boruc after Belfast horror show

Poland goalkeeper Artur Boruc has been dropped from the side after a nightmare World Cup display against Northern Ireland on Saturday, coach Leo Beenhakker said Monday.

“Of course what happened last Saturday evening in Ireland affected the whole team, but especially in this way Artur Boruc,” Beenhakker told reporters ahead of Wednesday’s home clash with San Marino.

Besides letting in two Northern Ireland goals – the first of which Beenhakker called a “present” to the hosts – Glasgow Celtic’s Boruc fumbled a back pass from a team-mate, allowing the hosts to stretch their lead to 3-1.

Beenhakker said the third goal “killed” Poland.

The visitors had pulled a goal back in stoppage time but it was too late to deny Northern Ireland the 3-2 win, keeping their campaign to reach the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa on track.

Dutchman Beenhakker said he had had words with Boruc after the game.

“In this conversation I informed him, openly and honestly, that I will not use him for the match on Wednesday versus San Marino,” he said.

“You can imagine that Artur was very affected of course about what happened Saturday, especially his role during the match, and we both decided that the best decision was that he should leave the camp and go back to Glasgow,” Beenhakker added.

Boruc was the target of persistent verbal abuse from Northern Ireland fans.

Nicknamed the “Holy Goalie” because he has often found himself in trouble for making provocative gestures towards supporters of Celtic’s bitter city rivals Rangers, the bulk of whom are Protestants.

It was no surprise that in Belfast, with its strict sectarian divide, Boruc was singled out for abuse by Northern Ireland’s mainly Protestant fan base.

But after Saturday’s match Beenhakker had insisted that the taunts had not led to Boruc’s errors, saying the keeper was very experienced and that the overall problem was the poor quality of the game.

Poland next play minnows San Marino on Wednesday in the southern town of Kielce with Beenhakker to choose between Arsenal’s Lukasz Fabianski and Dundee United’s Lukasz Zaluska for the goalkeeping slot.