UEFA Euro 2024 Wednesday, June 26, 2024 Vă iubim și nu ne mai săturăm de voi! Asta e ROMÂNIAAAAAA! 
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A goal and a point each sufficed to take both sides through to the round of 16, with Romania topping Group E and Slovakia third.
Slovakia and Romania drew 1-1 in the UEFA EURO 2024 Group E game in Frankfurt, with both teams qualifying for the last 16 – Romania as group winners and Slovakia in third place – after a Răzvan Marin penalty equalised Ondrej Duda’s goal.
Match in brief: End-to-end drama ends in draw
Slovakia started on the front foot, pressing high up the pitch and giving the Romania back line a tough time. Juraj Kucka had the first sniff of a chance with a header and moments later Dávid Hancko’s shot flew over the bar.
Romania swiftly responded, their first effort on target coming from Andrei Rațiu’s curler, brilliantly saved by Martin Dúbravka. Francesco Calzona’s men then produced their best opportunity yet, a Duda free-kick that sailed narrowly wide. Within a minute, however, the Slovakia midfielder found the back of the net with a perfect header.
Romania’s reaction was another Rațiu strike, again blocked by Dúbravka. Parity was restored soon after, though, following a penalty award to Romania for a foul on Ianis Hagi. Răzvan Marin provided the emphatic conversion.
The game continued to ebb and flow. Lukáš Haraslín broke from the left but Florin Niță stopped his shot. Next, that man Marin let fly from the edge of the box, only for Dúbravka to repel his attempt.
Dávid Strelec also had his chance, Niță being well positioned to save, and Slovakia came again with a Haraslín curler that soared just wide of the target. No matter: a point apiece served to send both sides into the round of 16, with Romania writing history by winning a EURO group for the first time and the Slovaks finishing third on the same four-point total.
Cristina Tache, Romania reporter
An interesting evening for Romania. It was a difficult match, against a pretty strong opponent, with chances for both sides. In the event this was a deserved qualification for Edward Iordănescu’s men which should give them confidence going forward. It was an occasion full of emotion with heavy rain, a wonderful crowd and attacking football from both teams. Romania proved that they can learn from their mistakes and aim even higher.
Reaction
Francesco Calzona, Slovakia coach: “A great game from our side, the boys did a great job and we gave the opponent very little space. I’m very happy, we are very happy to advance. I think we have achieved something important. We were able to play three matches at a high level against teams that are higher in the rankings. We have another goal in front of us – we want to stay in the competition as long as possible. I believe we will be well prepared for the round of 16.”
Stanislav Lobotka, Slovakia midfielder: “It’s indescribable at the moment. We did it and I am most pleased that we did it with our own style of football. From the beginning we wanted to play our game, we fought for each other. Even after losing the ball, we all wanted it back. We did it as one team. We will try to get as far as we can.”
Edward Iordănescu, Romania coach: “These are things you experience once in a lifetime. Thank you to all the fans, the ones who have made us feel at home in our three games, and those at home in Romania. I am proud to be Romanian. I think everyone is proud. I don’t know what can happen next, but we have reached the next stage. It’s incredible, I hope this continues. I want to congratulate my players – we found a spirit and don’t have to lose it again.”
Ianis Hagi, Romania midfielder: “I am proud of what we’ve accomplished tonight. We made a promise and we managed to keep the promise. It was a great responsibility for me to play in the starting XI, but I did my best and I showed what I can do. It was hard to me to recover after my injury and to be off the pitch for a year, so to be at this EURO is a dream come true. It is a historic moment for us and for Romania. I am so happy to be following in my father’s footsteps.”
#LuptamImpreuna #GeneratiaDeSuflet #RomaniaLaEuro2024 
#YouAndUs #MeetTheTeam #BeAVIP #RomanianFootball #LaunchDay #FIFACollect
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