Riot police were pelted with missiles including rocks, flares and bottles, firing tear gas and rubber bullets at fans in response after bloody fighting broke out on the bridge across the Vistula river leading to the national stadium.
The match always promised to be a highly-charged affair due to centuries of conflict between the two countries and the Soviet domination of Poland after World War two.
Around 20,000 Russian fans were in the Polish capital for the Group A clash, held on Russia's Independence Day, and before kickoff a huge flag was unfurled with the highly inflammatory slogan "This Is Russia".
An estimated 100,000 Poles gathered in the city's main square to watch the match but their hearts sunk when Alan Dzagoev put Russia ahead after 37 minutes.
"For sure the fans are supporting us in a great way," Poland coach Franciszek Smuda told reporters, perhaps unaware of the chaotic scenes in the city before kick-off.
"We have four days to prepare for the Czechs. The players need to rest and we will fight till the end with the Czechs."
Russian fan leaders had promised the march would be peaceful and said it had been organised to celebrate "the festival of football" on Russia Day. However, when the supporters reached the Poniatowskigo bridge sporadic fighting broke out.
Some Poles displayed a banner saying 'Polish president murdered in Russia', referring to a plane crash two years ago near Smolensk in western Russia that killed Poland's president Lech Kaczynski and 95 others.
"You could see on both the Polish and the Russian sides that it was organised groups of hooligans, quite small groups," said Polish fan Maciej Kowalski.
A film on YouTube showed a Polish fan lying unconscious on the bridge surrounded by police and reporters although media reports of a fatality were denied by Poland's Interior Ministry.
