EURO 2024: Romania’s national football team gearing up to face Slovakia for last match of group stage
Romania’s national football team is set to play against Slovakia on Wednesday, June 26, at 19:00, in the last match of Group E in the UEFA EURO 2024 tournament. At this point, all teams in Group E have three points each, a situation that is unprecedented at an EURO cup.
The match against Slovakia is Romania’s last trial before the next round, after winning 3-0 with Ukraine and losing 0-2 to Belgium.
Romanian football analysts already outlined several scenarios for Romania to move on. To qualify for the next stage, it must not lose against Slovakia, regardless of the result between Ukraine and Belgium.
Romania could also finish in first place in Group E if the team is victorious against Slovakia and Belgium and Ukraine finish in a draw. In this scenario, it would play one of the third-placed teams qualified from groups A, B, C, or D. Currently, with one round left to play, the best third places are Austria (Group D), Slovakia (Group E), Slovenia (Group C), and Albania (Group B). According to the BCDF scenario, Romania would play against the third place from Group C, namely Slovenia.
Romania can also finish second in the group if the match with Slovakia ends in a draw. In this scenario, both teams qualify. As such, Romania would face the second place from Group D, currently occupied by France. Depending on the results of the last round, both the Netherlands and Austria could finish in this position.
Even if it loses to Slovakia, Romania could also move on if Belgium wins against Ukraine. In this scenario, however, Romania depends on the results of matches in other groups, according to GSP.ro. In Group D, Austria needs to lose to the Netherlands by at least the same margin as Romania. In the last group, F, Romania would benefit from the failures of Georgia and the Czech Republic against Portugal and Turkey, respectively. In this situation, Romania could play with the first places from Group B or C, either Spain or England.
According to the latest reports, Romania’s team coach Edward Iordănescu is working on speed, strength, and striking skills for the next game. "We have less than 24 hours. Let's find the right pace and tone! We are training now for the round of 16. Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!,” he told the players according to UEFA.com.
The Romania-Slovakia match will take place at Frankfurt Stadium and the referee will be 40-year-old German national Daniel Siebert. He never refereed a match involving Romania, but will be assisted by Jan Seidel and Rafael Foltyn, and by the fourth official Felix Zwayer, all from Germany.
Romania’s spectacular first game against Ukraine secured its initial 3 points in the group. The team did not have a poor showing against Belgium either, but the latter’s ability to exploit space behind Romania's defense with "long passes to Romelu Lukaku and quick transitions" was pivotal to its victory, according to UEFA analysts.
(Photo source: Inquam Photos / Stefan Constantin)
