Poland defeated Switzerland in a thrilling penalty shoot-out as they advanced to the quarter-finals of the 2016 Euro Championships

While 30-year-old midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowski has had a stellar career with German giants Borussia Dortmund on the pitch, his life off it has been anything but easy.

With two 1-0 wins in Group C against Northern Ireland and the Ukrainians, besides a scoreless draw against Germany, Poland finished in second place in the group on goal difference. They face Switzerland in the Round of 16 at Saint Etienne

An early Marco Reus penalty and second-half strikes by Jakub Blaszczykowski and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang gave Dortmund a nervous 3-1 home win over Napoli.

The 27-year-old - nicknamed Kuba - has been with Dortmund since 2007, scoring 25 goals in 168 appearances.

Polish star Jakub Blaszczykowski struck a brace as defending champions Dortmund eased past Nuremberg in the Bundesliga. The win takes Dortmund to 2nd place, within nine points of leaders Bayern Munich.

It is win or bust for co-hosts Poland as they take on the Czech Republic here on Saturday knowing that any other result would see them exit the European Championship.

Alan Dzagoev scored his third goal of the European Championship and Jakub Blaszczykowski equalized in the second half as Russia and Poland drew 1-1 Tuesday.

The Borussia Dortmund trio of Robert Lewandowski, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Lukasz Piszczek lead the European Championship squad for co-host Poland.