Romania’s Resounding 3-0 Victory Over Ukraine: Euro 2024 Match Analysis
Romania began their Euro 2024 campaign with a memorable 3-0 victory against Ukraine in Group E at the Allianz Arena in Munich. Although Ukraine entered the match as the favorites, they struggled to break through Romania’s defense, which executed their game plan to perfection. Many expected Ukraine to control the game while Romania would wait and capitalize on counter-attacks, but few anticipated such an astonishing performance from the Tricolorii.
Starting Lineups
Romania starts with a 4-1-4-1 formation, with Marius Marin as the defensive pivot in front of the back line consisting of Andrei Rațiu, Radu Drăgușin, Andrei Burcă, and Nicușor Bancu.
In midfield, we have Florinel Coman and Dennis Man on the wings, with Coman starting in place of Valentin Mihăilă. This decision was likely made due to Florinel Coman’s defensive contributions to the national team. Since Viktor Tsygankov, a significant offensive threat, played on the right flank, Iordănescu chose to strengthen that wing.
Denis Drăguș takes on the role of the forward, ahead of captain Nicolae Stanciu and Răzvan Marin.
Match Summary
Romania Surprises: Stanciu’s Long Range Shot Lights up the Arena!
Romania began their Euro 2024 match against Ukraine with an unexpected advantage. Despite Ukraine dominating possession with 71.5%, Romania was more efficient in front of the goal.
In the 8th minute, Romania had the first shot on target when Florinel Coman sent a long-range shot, easily saved by Lunin. Ukraine responded in the 12th minute when Artem Dovbyk received a good pass in the box, but his shot was blocked by Burcă.
In the 24th minute, Rațiu sent a cross into the box, but Lunin caught the ball without difficulty. Just a few minutes later, in the 26th minute, Romania had their first corner of the match, but it didn’t pose a threat to Ukraine’s goal.
The opening goal came in the 29th minute when Nicolae Stanciu capitalized on an error by goalkeeper Andrii Lunin. Lunin made a poor clearance, Dennis Man intercepted it, and passed to Stanciu, who sent a spectacular shot into the net. In the 39th minute, Romania nearly scored again when Stanciu’s corner hit the crossbar.
Marius Marin required medical attention at the end of the first half following a collision, but he managed to continue playing. The first half ended with Romania leading 1-0, a result that surprised many fans and gave hope to Edward Iordănescu’s team.
Historic Victory: Marin and Dragus Secure Romania’s Triumph!
Romania continued to impress in the second half of their Euro 2024 match against Ukraine. In the 50th minute, Ukraine tried to get back into the game with a long-range shot from Sudakov, but the ball went over the bar. Romania responded quickly, and in the 53rd minute, scored their second goal. Dennis Man recovered a lost ball from Ukraine and passed it to Razvan Marin, who sent a powerful low shot under Lunin and into the net.
In the 57th minute, Romania extended their lead. After a quick combination of passes, Dennis Man crossed the ball in front of the goal, where Denis Dragus finished easily to make it 3-0. The goal was confirmed after a VAR check for a possible offside.
Romania made their first substitutions, with Man and Coman being replaced by Ianis Hagi and Valentin Mihaila. Ukraine also made multiple changes, bringing on Yarmolenko, Yaremchuk, and Brazhko for Stepanenko, Tsygankov, and Shaparenko.
In the 77th minute, Ukraine had their first significant chance of the second half when Sudakov sent a long-range shot, but goalkeeper Nita managed to save it. This was Ukraine’s first shot on target in the match.
Towards the end of the game, Romania made further substitutions to maintain the result. In the 87th minute, captain Stanciu was replaced by Bogdan Racovitan and received an ovation from the Romanian fans. In the 90+2 minute, Ukraine had a final chance through Dovbyk, but his shot went over the bar. The match ended with a clear 3-0 victory for Romania over Ukraine, a surprising and promising result for Edward Iordănescu’s team.
Romania Revitalizes the Long-Range Shot
In modern football, the art of the long-range shot is much rarer than in the past. This is due to the evolution of defensive tactics, with coaches believing that long-range shots often concede possession. With the advent of statistics and the emergence of xG (expected goals), teams now prefer a possession-based game, aiming to get the ball as close to the goal as possible.
However, out of the national team’s total of 9 shots, only 3 were from inside the box. The superb shot by the Tricolorii’s captain had an xG of just 0.05, while Razvan Marin’s shot had an xG of 0.02, making it the goal with the lowest xG of this European Championship. In a way, it’s poetic, as the most well-known goal of the national team, scored by Hagi against Colombia in 1994, was also a long-range shot.
Romania’s Heroic Defensive Efforts
Although Ukraine did not have their most inspired offensive performance, we must acknowledge the stability and fighting spirit of Romania’s defense. The Tricolorii adopted a 4-1-4-1 defensive formation, leaving enough space between the defensive and midfield lines and starting their defense from the middle of the field. This allowed them to have enough space and avoid being pinned back in their own box.
Marius Marin constantly patrolled between the lines and cut off passing lanes to the center of the field. Whenever Nicolae Stanciu or Răzvan Marin stepped out of the midfield line to press, Marius Marin took their place to maintain stability and numerical presence in the midfield area.
The main offensive threat from Ukraine came from the flanks, particularly from Tsygankov and Mykhaylo Mudryk. Therefore, Florinel Coman’s defensive effort, which crowded the left side of the field and forced Tsygankov to either advance or pass back, was a key element of the defensive strategy.
If we look at Tsygankov’s passing map, we can see that he rarely had a forward pass, apart from combinations made on his flank, and he had no passes towards the center of the field or into Romania’s penalty area.
Another important aspect to highlight is the defensive effort of Drăgușin and Burcă, who successfully neutralized Artem Dovbyk. He only had 24 touches of the ball, one shot off target, and completed 10 out of 12 attempted passes.
Conclusions
Romania achieved a resounding 3-0 victory against Ukraine in the first match of Group E at Euro 2024. With solid defense and efficient attack, Edward Iordănescu’s team demonstrated that they can pose problems for any team in the competition. Goals by Nicolae Stanciu, Razvan Marin, and Denis Dragus highlighted both individual quality and collective cohesion.
This victory places Romania in a favorable position for advancing to the knockout stages, while also boosting morale ahead of the next match against Belgium. On the other hand, Ukraine will need to rethink their strategy and improve their performance to maintain their qualification chances, starting with the match against Slovakia.
Overall, Romania’s performance in this match is memorable, showing that the team has the potential to surprise and succeed in this European tournament. Fans and players alike have every reason to be optimistic about future performances.
