Euro 2024: Romania ends long drought by defeating Ukraine 3-0
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Photo: AP
Munich: Romania defeated Ukraine 3-0 at Euro 2024, their first major international tournament victory in 24 years, thanks in part to two mistakes made by goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.
Romania, encouraged by a large section of the Munich audience, took the lead in the first half of their Group E match thanks to a spectacular long-range strike from Captain Nicolae Stanciu.
Then, just before the hour, Denis Dragus tapped in the third goal as Romania turned the screw with two more goals, one a long-range effort from Razvan Marin that went under Lunin, AFP reported.
"This shirt means everything to me and to score at the Euros, you can't do more than that. To also win in the manner we did, that's just incredible," said Stanciu.
"I know myself and my team-mates. I know we're not going to celebrate after this win; we're only going to concentrate on Belgium now.”
Ukraine's campaign got off to a terrible start, and they now need to regroup before playing Slovakia and Belgium.
"Unfortunately, nobody expected this result," said Ukraine coach Serhiy Rebrov. "We didn't do good enough."
"We all have emotions. Everybody is unhappy," he added.
The first major tournament match for Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022 saw players enter the pitch with Ukrainian flags slung over their shoulders. Despite the backdrop of the biggest European conflict since World War II, they managed to qualify for the fourth consecutive European Championship, even though they were unable to qualify for the World Cup two years earlier. Under Andriy Shevchenko, Ukraine advanced to the quarterfinals three years prior. But since then, a lot has changed in a war-torn nation, led by his former strike partner Rebrov.
Rebrov said that just participating in Germany, the country where over a million Ukrainians have sought safety, is a significant step for the country.
He claimed to have received innumerable messages from his fellow countrymen, including those engaged in combat, and that it was his team's responsibility to "show the spirit" of Ukraine during these trying times.