UEFA Euro Cup 2024 has provided the viewers with the first upset of the tournament. Ukraine who went into their opening game as the overwhelming favorites against Romania, was in for a major shock as the Romanians cruised to a dominating 3-0 victory. The three points take Romania to the top in Group E. It was an emotional moment for the Romanian faithful witnessing their national team win in the European Championship after 24 years.
Ukraine will be concerned with the manner of the defeat and the lack of authority from the nation’s senior players. Next up for the country is an encounter against Slovakia at Dusseldorf, while Romania takes on Belgium in Cologne at the weekend. The rest of the group will be wary of Romania’s threat to cause damage even to the superior teams on paper.
Ukraine succumbs to Romania’s domination on the pitch
Both countries began the game with a 4-2-3-1 formation, but as the game progressed Romanian coach, Eduard Iordanescu made a slight adjustment of modifying to a single pivot and creating a midfield line of four high up the pitch. This led to the side winning multiple loose balls close to the Ukrainian goal even with just 29% of the possession. “We have had golden generations but this generation does not represent any metal. It is the generation of soul. No one has ever had that.”, were the words of a proud Ioradanescu post-match.
The most disappointing outcome for Ukraine apart from the result will be the lack of cohesion between the players. Mykhaylo Mudryk was in the spotlight pre-match and unfortunately did not deliver. A lot of expectations were put on the nation to be one of the dark horses in the campaign, but their opening display does not support those claims by any means. Individual errors proved to be a major thorn in the side, as the nation completely fell apart owing to the Romanian dominance.
Captain Nicolae Stanciu leads his nation by example
The celebration for Romania started with their captain Nicolae Stanciu opening the scoring in the 29ᵗʰ minute. Stanciu started as an offensive option in the midfield and was involved in making Andriy Lunin lose the ball high up the pitch. Owing to a wonderful pass from Dennis Man, Stanciu unleashed a powerful effort from outside the box, finding the top corner of the net. The goal is undoubtedly the best scored so far in the tournament and will be up there even at the end of the Euros.
Nicolae Stanciu currently plays his soccer for Damac FC in Saudi Arabia. A Chinese Super League star previously, Stanciu moved to the Middle East in 2023. At 31 years old, Stanciu has been a regular feature for the national team since his debut in 2016, scoring 15 goals in the process. The midfielder will be a key ingredient in what Romania hopes is a long and accomplished journey in the UEFA Euro Cup 2024.