Pitch-perfect Bartosz Kapustka makes his mark on Euro 2016

"Kapustka is a great player with a lot of potential. I never worried about playing him," Poland coach Adam Nawalka said in his post-match press conference after his side overcame a resolute Northern Ireland side to win 1-0 in Nice.

Bartosz Kapustka, who plays for Cracovia in the Polish Ekstraklasa, only has a handful of caps for the national team but put in a superlative performance that belies his age.

The 19-year-old glides when in possession, has a keen eye for a pass but, most impressively of all, has a calming influence on those around him.

"We know what he can do and that is why we called him up. He can cope with the pressure perfectly," added Nawalka.

Kapustka was the creative hub of this impressive Poland team as they sought to breach a robust Northern Ireland defence. However, it was his work after Poland took the lead that impressed most.

Michael O'Neill's men were stirred into action having fallen behind to Arek Milik's 51st-minute opener, and, immediately after the goal, had the Poles reeling.

Some of Kapustka's more experienced team-mates were ragged in possession - unsettled by Northern Ireland's increased tempo, the stray pass count began to creep up.

Had those stray passes come from Kapustka, he could be forgiven. This was his first taste of tournament football. However, it was the youngster who showed calm and poise amongst the bedlam of Northern Ireland urgency.

He has an innate understanding of the game, which informs his pitch perfect decision making. Of course, as pointed out by his manager, Kapustka still has much to learn but he has a base level of talent that could elevate him to the upper echelons of European football.

"He has made great improvements, but he can still get better. He must keep working to get the best out of himself," said Nawalka.

Kapustka's emergence provides further weight to a growing body of evidence that this Poland team is the most exciting since the 1982 side that finished third in the World Cup.

Robert Lewandowski's obvious class can sometimes obscure the talents of those around him but, make no mistake about it, this Poland team is loaded with talent - particularly in forward positions.

Battling Kapustka for a spot in behind Lewandowski are Milik, Kamil Grosicki and Jakub Blaszczykowski. All players of some repute obscured in the relentless glut of goals that is Lewandowski.

Further back, Grzegorz Krychowiak shields the back four before setting in motion the breakneck speed attacks that Poland peppered O'Neill’s men with in Nice.

The depth of Lewandowski's talent has in a rather abstract way allowed Poland to go about their business building one of the most impressive starting XIs in Europe relatively untroubled. While everyone else focuses on the Bayern man, other hugely talented players have transited into the first team with the limited of fuss.

What Kapustka's performance illustrated to the uninitiated was that Poland have more than just Lewandowski.

They are without a shadow of a doubt Euro 2016 dark horses, and what better way to test that than a match up against Germany on Thursday.