The Romania national football team (Romanian: Echipa națională de fotbal a României) represents Romania in men's international football, and is administered by the Romanian Football Federation (Romanian: Federația Română de Fotbal), also known as FRF. They are colloquially known as Tricolorii ("the Tricolours").
Romania is one of only four national teams from Europe—the other three being Belgium, France, and Yugoslavia—that took part in the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930. Including that participation, Romania has qualified for seven World Cup editions, the latest in 1998. The national team's finest hour came in 1994, when led by playmaker Gheorghe Hagi it defeated Argentina 3–2 in the round of 16, before being eliminated by Sweden on a penalty shoot-out in the quarter-finals.
At the European Championships, Romania's best performance was in 2000 when they advanced to the quarter-finals from a group with Germany, Portugal, and England, before falling to eventual runners-up Italy. They also reached the last eight in 1960, 1972 and 1984, and have qualified for a total of six tournaments.
The Romanian Football Federation (Federația Română de Fotbal) was established in October 1909 in Bucharest. Romania played their first international match on 8 June 1922, a 2–1 win over Yugoslavia in Belgrade, being coached by Teofil Moraru.[4] Several temporary coaches were employed, before Moraru resumed control in August 1924, managing the side for nearly four years. Romania enjoyed some success during the 1930s; manager Costel Rădulescu took them to the first three FIFA World Cup tournaments, a feat matched only by Brazil, Belgium and France.
Romania qualified for the next World Cup in 1934 after beating Yugoslavia 2–1 in a repeat of their first international. At the finals, Romania played only one game in a new knock-out format, losing 2–1 to Czechoslovakia in Trieste, Italy, with Ștefan Dobay scoring their only goal of the tournament.
Romania qualified by default for the 1938 World Cup after their qualifying playoff opponents Egypt withdrew. They suffered a shock defeat in the finals in France, losing to minnows Cuba, who, like Romania, had only qualified due to the withdrawal of their qualifying opponents, the United States. The first match at the Stade du T.O.E.C. in Toulouse ended 3–3 after extra time, but Cuba won the replay four days later 2–1.
1970 World Cup
Despite a 3–0 loss to Portugal in Lisbon and two draws against Greece, Romania was able to qualify for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. Angelo Niculescu's promising side were given the toughest of draws, in Group 3 with 1966 winners England, giants Brazil and Czechoslovakia.
A Geoff Hurst goal gave England a narrow victory in Romania's first match at the Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara in what was a very physical game. Chances were improved with a 2–1 win over the Czechs. After going behind early to a Ladislav Petráš goal, Romania turned it around after half-time with Alexandru Neagu and Florea Dumitrache scoring to give them two vital points. Even then, only a win over the Brazilians would take them into the quarter-finals.
There were rumours before the match that Brazil might prefer Romania to progress than world champions England;[citation needed] after beating them 1–0 in their previous match in Guadalajara, the South American giants still viewed England as one of its biggest obstacles to tournament victory. But Brazil played some of the best football of the competition, with Pelé scoring twice and a Jairzinho goal in between. Romania battled bravely; Dumitrache pulled the score back to 2–1 before the break and a late Emerich Dembrowski goal made it 3–2, but they were out.
On 26 September 1972, under new coach Valentin Stanescu, Romania suffered a significant defeat to East Germany in Leipzig. The East Germans won 2–0 to effectively seal their first ever qualification for the World Cup, which would be held over the border in West Germany. With East Germany scoring a predictable 4–1 win in Albania, Romania were out, despite a huge 9–0 win over Finland in Bucharest.
Romania continued to suffer poor form in the UEFA European Championship. In their qualifying group for the 1976 European Football Championship, they were out-qualified by Spain despite an impressive 1–1 draw in the away match. Romania failed to win matches, drawing twice with Scotland and Spain and dropping points in Denmark with a dismal goalless draw.
Romania were again beaten by Spain for a place in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. After a 1–0 win in Bucharest, Romania lost a match at home to Yugoslavia 6–4 having led 3–2 at half time. Spain won 1–0 in Belgrade to seal passage to Argentina.
Romania's sole successful qualifying campaign between 1970 and 1990 was for the European Championships in 1984 in France. At the finals, Romania were drawn with Spain, holders West Germany and Portugal. Under head coach Mircea Lucescu, an encouraging opening game in Saint-Étienne saw them draw with the Spanish. Francisco José Carrasco opened the scoring from the penalty spot but Romania equalized before half-time with a goal from Laszlo Bölöni.
Against the Germans in Lens, Marcel Coraș scored an equalizer in the first minute of the second half in response to Rudi Völler's opener, but Völler would score a winning goal. Their last match in Nantes was a must-win match, but Nené's late winner meant Portugal progressed with Spain, who netted a dramatic late winner against West Germany at the Parc des Princes in Paris.
Romania stuttered throughout the rest of the decade, but a stronger squad at the end of the decade saw them qualify for their fifth World Cup in 1990. A win over Denmark in their last match took Emerich Jenei's side to the finals for the first time in 20 years.
With an increasing trend for big clubs in Italy and Spain buying up the best foreign talent[citation needed], Romania's squad was entirely domestic-based. Midfielder Ilie Dumitrescu, strikerFlorin Răducioiu and genius playmaker[citation needed]Gheorghe Hagi, were in the squad. After world champions Argentina were stunned by Cameroon in the tournament's opening match, Romania did their chances no harm with a convincing win over the Soviet Union at the San Nicola in Bari, with Marius Lăcătuș scoring in each half. The result was all the more impressive[citation needed] given the absence of Hagi. There was controversy, however, as Lăcătus' second was a penalty given for a handball by Vagiz Khidiatullin that television replays clearly showed to be some way outside the penalty area[citation needed].
Romania lost to Cameroon next; cult hero[citation needed]Roger Milla, aged 38, came on as a substitute for Emmanuel Maboang Kessack and scored twice before Gavril Balint pulled one back. Romania needed a point in their last match against improving Argentina at the San Paolo in Naples; Pedro Monzón gave Argentina the lead after an hour, but Balint quickly equalized and Romania held on to reach the second round[citation needed].
Romania was successful, however, in reaching another World Cup in the United States in 1994. After losing in Belgium and suffering a heavy 5–2 defeat in Czechoslovakia, Romania went into their last match at Cardiff Arms Park with Wales needing a win to pip them to a place in the finals. Goals from Gheorghe Hagi and Dean Saunders meant the game was finely balanced, before Wales were awarded a penalty[citation needed]. Paul Bodin of Swindon Town stepped up but hit the woodwork and Romania went on to win 2–1, Florin Răducioiu's late goal proving unnecessary as Czechoslovakia dropped a point in Belgium and were eliminated.[5]
At the finals, Romania were one of the most entertaining teams in the early stages[citation needed], with Gheorghe Hagi, Florin Răducioiu and Ilie Dumitrescu on form. Romania beat Colombia 3–1 at the PasadenaRose Bowl in Los Angeles (all but one of Romania's games took place in California, and they were awarded the advantage of playing most of their games in LA). Răducioiu opened the scoring before Hagi scored a spectacular second from wide on the left touchline[citation needed]. Adolfo Valencia pulled one back with a headed goal just before half-time, but Romania held on and Răducioiu sealed the win with a late third[citation needed].
In Detroit's indoor Pontiac Silverdome, the temperature soared due to the greenhouse effect in the indoor arena[citation needed]. Switzerland, acclimatized after having already played the hosts there, outran Romania in the second half and turned a 1–1 half time score into a 4–1 win. Romania responded by beating the hosts 1–0 in Pasadena with an early Dan Petrescu goal[citation needed].
In the Round of 16 knockout stage they faced Argentina, minus Diego Maradona who had been thrown out of the tournament for taking drugs, in Los Angeles[citation needed]. The suspended Răducioiu was hardly missed, as coach Anghel Iordănescu pushed Dumitrescu forward to play as a striker[citation needed] and the player responded by scoring twice in the first 20 minutes, one a subtle left foot flick from a right-wing Hagi cross slotted between the Argentine defenders. In between, Gabriel Batistuta scored a penalty, but after half-time Romania netted a third on the counterattack, with Hagi beating goalkeeper Luis Islas. Abel Balbo pulled one back, but Romania held on for a shock win[citation needed].
Romania would suffer penalty heartbreak again in the quarter-final against Sweden in San Francisco. With just 13 minutes to play, a tight match opened up as Sweden's Tomas Brolin scored from a clever free-kick move, the ball passed outside the Romanian wall by Håkan Mild for Brolin to smash in[citation needed]. Iordănescu threw caution to the wind and the returning Răducioiu found a late equalizer, again from a free-kick move but this time down to a deflection and a failure of the Swedes to clear. In extra time Răducioiu scored again after a mistake by Patrik Andersson, but Sweden then scored their own late equalizer as giant striker Kennet Andersson climbed above goalkeeper Florin Prunea to head home a long ball. Prunea had come in after two matches to replace Bogdan Stelea, whose confidence was shattered by the 4–1 loss to the Swiss[citation needed]. In the shoot-out, Dan Petrescu and Miodrag Belodedici had their kicks saved by Thomas Ravelli and Sweden went through[citation needed].
Euro 1996
At Euro 1996, held in England, Romania arrived as a highly thought-of and popular team but had a nightmare. Iordănescu's side were based in the northeast, with their first two games at St James' Park in Newcastle. Against France, they lost to a Christophe Dugarry header reminiscent of Kennet Andersson's two years earlier, beating the goalkeeper to a lofted through ball. An early goal from Bulgaria striker Hristo Stoichkov at St James' Park put Romania on the back foot in Euro 1996, but Dorinel Munteanu appeared to have kept Romania in the match – and in the tournament – with a thunderbolt that hit the bar, bounced over the line, and back out. Referee Peter Mikkelsen merely waved play on, however, and Romania went on to lose the game 1–0, a defeat which sent them out of the tournament.
1998 World Cup
Despite a poor performance at Euro 1996, Romania impressed in qualifying, finishing ten points clear of the Republic of Ireland and were seeded for the final tournament of the 1998 World Cup.
The next match was against a Tunisia side eliminated after losing to both England and Colombia. With England–Colombia being the more decisive game, the Stade de France in Paris was an 80,000-strong sell out and the crowd were nearly rewarded with a shock as Skander Souayah scored an early penalty to give the north Africans the lead. Romania needed a point to win the group and avoid Argentina in the round of 16, and got it when Moldovan volleyed a late equalizer. It did them little good, however, as in the round of 16 match at Bordeaux against Croatia, Davor Šuker scored a twice-taken penalty to eliminate Romania.
Euro 2000
Line-ups for Romania versus England at the UEFA Euro 2000
Romania had a strong qualifying campaign, winning a tough Group 7 with Portugal, Slovakia, Hungary, Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein. The Romanians impressed, never losing and winning seven times, including a big upset in Porto after defeating Portugal thanks to a late goal scored by Dorinel Munteanu. In Bucharest, the score finished 1–1.
At Euro 2000, held in Belgium and the Netherlands, Romania were drawn against 1996 champions Germany, semi-finalists England and Portugal. The chances for the Romanians to qualify through quarter-finals were seen as slim.
Romania, however, started brightly against the Germans in Liège, with Viorel Moldovan scoring from close range. A long-range Mehmet Scholl equalizer meant they had to be content with a point and their position looked shaky after Costinha headed a last minute winner for Portugal in their second match.
Emerich Jenei, back as coach, threw caution to the wind in the last match in Charleroi against England, a must-win match for Romania. Defender Cristian Chivu's cross went in off the post in the 22nd minute, but despite Romania dominating, England led at half-time through an Alan Shearer penalty and a late Michael Owen goal after he rounded goalkeeper Bogdan Stelea to score a tap-in, both in the last five minutes of the half. Romania attacked after the break and were quickly rewarded; Dorinel Munteanu punishing a poor punch from Nigel Martyn, a late replacement for injured goalkeeper David Seaman, to equalize three minutes after the restart. England cracked under the pressure. Unable to retain possession or pose an attacking threat, they fell deep and late on Phil Neville, playing out of position at left-back, conceded a penalty scored by Ioan Ganea in the 89th minute.
Romania's relief was tempered by tough opposition in the last eight, and Italy, who would end up seconds from being crowned European champions in an agonizing final, comfortably saw them off 2–0 in Brussels. Francesco Totti and Filippo Inzaghi scoring towards the end of the first half. In the 35th minute, Gheorghe Hagi, in his final international tournament, hit the woodwork with goalkeeper Francesco Toldo stranded off his line and, after the break, was sent off for diving. Romania's tournament was over and Emerich Jenei left his job as coach again.
2000s – World Cup dry spell
Romania failed to qualify for the next three major tournaments. They drew Slovenia, who had been surprise qualifiers for Euro 2000 in a playoff for a place in the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. A narrow 2–1 deficit – having led through a Marius Niculae goal – after the first leg in Ljubljana was not irretrievable. With fan hero Gheorghe Hagi now coaching the side, they were confident of getting the win they needed in Bucharest against the Balkan upstarts, but Slovenia took the lead before the hour through Mladen Rudonja. Right wing-back Cosmin Contra quickly equalized but Romania could not find the goal they needed to force extra time and Slovenia, with maverick manager Srečko Katanec, were in a major tournament again.
Euro 2004
Romania were confident of qualifying for the tournament, drawn in Group 2 with seeds Denmark, Norway, Bosnia and Herzegovina and minnows Luxembourg, with Anghel Iordănescu back as coach. Despite a good start – a 3–0 win away to Bosnia in Sarajevo – Romania stuttered. Steffen Iversen's late goal gave Norway a surprise win in Bucharest and they were stunned at home by the Danes, 5–2, with Thomas Gravesen scoring a spectacular goal from around 50 yards out, after leading twice. They recovered slightly, completing a double over the Bosnians and earning a point in Oslo, but conceded a cutting injury time equalizer in Denmark to draw 2–2. It was decisive, as they now required Norway to fail to win at home to Luxembourg to stand any realistic chance of qualifying. Eventually, the Danes got a point in Bosnia to scrape through a tight group, with Norway going to a play-off with Spain.
2006 World Cup
Romania were drawn with the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, who were ranked first and second in Europe respectively in 2006 World Cupqualification. Early wins over Finland and Macedonia were unconvincing, and they were behind the two leaders by the time they earned a 2–0 home win over the Czechs. Despite a record of eight wins, three losses and one draw, they finished third behind the Dutch and the Czechs and missed out on another major tournament.
Euro 2008
Romania were drawn in a group with the Netherlands again, along with Bulgaria for Euro 2008 qualifying. Romania, however, performed well, losing only away against Bulgaria and beating the Netherlands 1–0 at home with a goal scored by Dorin Goian from a suspicious offside position not seen by referee Kyros Vassaras. On 17 October 2007, Romania became the fourth team to qualify for Euro 2008, the nation's first international tournament since Euro 2000. Coincidentally, Victor Pițurcă also led Romania to qualification for Euro 2000, only to sit back and let Emerich Jenei coach the team in the final tournament; this time, however, he stayed in the role, the first time he coached a national team in the final stages of a tournament.
Romania was drawn in the so-called "Group of death" alongside the Netherlands, world champions Italy and France, runners-up in the 2006 World Cup. Romania started with a 0–0 draw against a lacklustre France while Italy were soundly beaten by the Netherlands, 3–0. In their next match, against Italy, Adrian Mutu opened the scoring early in the second half. Their lead was a very short one, however, as Italy's Christian Panucci scored a minute later off of a corner kick. Nearing the end of the match, Daniel Niculae earned a penalty for his team, but goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon saved the subsequent Mutu penalty, leaving Romania with two points and needing a win against the Netherlands, who defeated France 4–1 that same evening. The Netherlands beat Romania 2–0 in the final game of the group, which meant that Italy joined the Netherlands in the quarter-finals and Romania finished third, ahead of France.
2010 World Cup
Arena Națională, opened in 2011, the national stadium of Romania, as seen on a Romanian stamp (2011)Romanian fans at the new Arena Națională in June 2013
Romania were drawn into the UEFA qualifying round for the 2010 World Cup alongside France, Serbia, Austria, Lithuania and the Faroe Islands. Although Romania were seeded in the second pot, they eventually finished fifth, above only the Faroe Islands. Their campaign was a disaster that began with a 3–0 home loss to Lithuania and included a 5–0 trashing in Belgrade by Serbia. Furthermore, various problems were caused during the poor campaign, such as the retirement from international football of Cosmin Contra, Mirel Rădoi and Adrian Mutu (the latter would later be recalled after a year's absence). Coach Victor Pițurcă resigned and was replaced by Răzvan Lucescu.
Euro 2012
In Euro 2012 qualifying, Romania was drawn into Group D along with France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Albania and Luxembourg. Although the team initially seemed prepared to continue their awful form from their disastrous World Cup campaign, beginning with a 1–1 draw with Pot 5 members Albania and following up with a goalless draw with Belarus and a pair of losses to France and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the team was able to rebound somewhat and register their first two victories. The first was a win against Luxembourg and the second was an important win in the rematch against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Romania's last decent result came when they battled France to a goalless draw before ending the campaign the way it began – two disappointing draws with Albania and Belarus. They finished qualification in a distant third place and only one point ahead of Belarus.
2014 World Cup
Romania were drawn into the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying round with the Netherlands, Turkey, Hungary, Estonia and Andorra. They made an impressive start with a 2–0 away win in Estonia followed by a 4–0 win at home against modest Andorra and another away win in Turkey (1–0). After that, Romania were defeated by the Netherlands, both at home and away, and managed to secure only a draw in Hungary, in between. Romania started the last part of the campaign with a victory at home, against Hungary, but was defeated by Turkey. The last two match days were decisive, with Romania securing its place in the play-off with two wins, against Andorra and Estonia, while qualification rivals Turkey and Hungary were both defeated by the winner of the group, the Netherlands. Romania were drawn to play Greece for a place in the World Cup finals, but a 3–1 loss in Greece and a 1–1 home draw ended its run.
For the qualifying stage of the Euro 2016 Romania was drawn into Group F along with Greece, Hungary, Finland, Northern Ireland and the Faroe Islands. Romania began its first successful qualification campaign since 2008 with a win over Greece before following up with a 1–1 draw with Pot 2 team Hungary and a 2–0 win over Finland. Despite the initial success, Romania decided to part with coach Victor Pițurcă by mutual consent. Anghel Iordănescu came out of retirement to return to coach Romania for a third time.
Under Iordănescu, Romania was able to follow up with comfortable 2–0 win over Northern Ireland and, despite a disappointing 1–0 win over the Faroe Islands and a 0–0 draw in the return game against Northern Ireland, Romania remained on top of Group F, one point above Northern Ireland and three points above third-placed Hungary. After a goalless draw in the match against Hungary in Budapest, however, the team fell back on the second place, one point behind Northern Ireland and three above Hungary, still placed third. Following a 1–1 draw clinched in overtime at home against Finland, Romania secured their spot at the final tournament in the last game after a confident 3–0 win in the Faroe Islands. Romania finished the qualification group second, one point behind group winners Northern Ireland, completing their first successful qualification campaign in eight years undefeated after five wins and five draws. With only two goals conceded, Romania had the best defence in the qualifiers.
Romania advanced to Euro 2016, where they were drawn in Group A, being named to play the opening match against the hosts France. The match began better for the Romanian side, who almost scored the first goal of the tournament in the fourth minute, after Bogdan Stancu tricked the French defence at a corner kick executed by his co-national Nicușor Stanciu and his shot was narrowly saved by the French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Shortly after the half-time, France dominated, and scored the first goal of the tournament after a header by Olivier Giroud in the 57th minute. Less than eight minutes later, Nicușor Stanciu was fouled by Patrice Evra in the French box, and Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai gave Romania a penalty which Bogdan Stancu scored. With the match coming to an end, just after Romania narrowly missed an opportunity after a free kick, Dimitri Payet shot hard from outside the box and scored France's second goal, crushing Romania's dream of a perfect start in the Euros.
In the second match, Romania faced Switzerland, in a match that began with the Swiss side dominating. In the 17th minute, Alexandru Chipciu was fouled in the box, the second penalty of the tournament being accorded again to Romania. The same Bogdan Stancu went on and scored, giving an advantage for the Romanian side. Just after Switzerland almost scored an own goal, Admir Mehmedi scored for an equalizer in the 57th minute. The match eventually finished in a 1–1 draw.
With one point accumulated and on the third place in the group before the final match, Romania needed a victory against Albania in order to be among the first four best-third-placed teams and to qualify further in Euro. The match began good for the Romanian side, but Armando Sadiku's header in the 43rd minute went past Ciprian Tătărușanu, giving Albania the lead and their first ever goal in a tournament. The despondent Romanian side failed to score in this match, with Florin Andone striking the post in the 76th minute. The negative score meant that Romania ended on the last place of the group, ending their Euro dream with no victory and after one draw, two defeats, two goals scored (both from penalties) and four conceded, with only one point, the poor results making the manager Anghel Iordănescu to resign before the matches for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers began three months later.
2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
It was German manager Christoph Daum who took the place of Anghel Iordănescu for the next qualifying campaign. Due to FIFA's ranking revamp, Romania was drawn from Pot 1, having to face Denmark, Poland, Montenegro, Armenia and Kazakhstan. The campaign began with a mediocre 1-1 draw against Montenegro in Cluj-Napoca, followed by a thrashing 5-0 victory in Yerevan against Armenia before another mediocre draw in Astana against Kazakhstan, a 0-3 defeat in Bucharest and a 1-3 defeat in Warsaw against Poland, a lacklustre 0-0 draw against Denmark in Cluj-Napoca and a lucky victory in the last minutes against Armenia in Bucharest.
With only nine points after seven fixtures, Romania had to win against the revelation of the group, Montenegro, in Podgorica, but failed amid a Stevan Jovetić winner and were mathematically eliminated, leading to the sacking of Daum and his replace with Cosmin Contra. This defeat was followed by a 3-1 victory against Kazakhstan in Ploiești before a lucky 1-1 draw against Denmark in Copenhagen. Romania ended fourth in the group, with 13 points, twelve goals scored and ten conceded.
UEFA Nations League 2018-19
The poor performance in the qualifiers meant Romania would be in the League C of UEFA's first season of the new competition, the Nations League. They were drawn against neighbours Serbia, Montenegro again and Baltic side Lithuania.
In the first match, Romania registered yet another mediocre result against Montenegro, in a 0-0 draw in Ploiești, before a double comeback in Serbia in a 2-2 draw and a late-winner in Vilnius against Lithuania. This was followed by another 0-0 draw in Bucharest against Serbia, in which Dušan Tadić missed a penalty and a comfortable 3-0 victory over Lithuania in Ploiești.
Overall results meant that it was possible for Romania to win the group shall it win in Podgorica against Montenegro and Serbia lose to Lithuania in Belgrade. Despite Romania actually emerging victorious from the duel against the Montenegrins, Serbia comfortably won against Lithuania and won the group. However, following UEFA's revamp of the competition, Romania, as the second place, promoted too in League B for the next edition.
For the qualifiers of Euro 2020, Romania was drawn in a group including Spain, Sweden, and Norway alongside Malta and the Faroe Islands. In the opening game, Romania suffered a 1–2 defeat to Sweden in Stockholm, followed by a comfortable 4–1 victory over the Faroe Islands in Cluj-Napoca and a 2–2 draw with Norway in Oslo, with Claudiu Keșerü scoring in the last minute.
Eventually, Romania stayed on track by defeating Malta in a 4-0 victory in Valletta, but it was later followed by a defeat to Spain in Bucharest, with two very late misses from George Pușcaș and Dragoș Grigore, and a poor 1-0 victory against Malta. This meant Romania had to win against Norway in October, but after a goal from Alexandru Mitriță in the 62nd minute, Alexander Sørloth scored in the last minute and the match in Bucharest ended 1-1. This had significantly reduced their chances of automatic qualification, as they had to meet the Swedish and Spanish sides for the two remaining competitive games.
A 0–2 defeat to Sweden in Bucharest ensured Romania's fail to finish on any of the automatic qualification places. In the last matchday, they were thrashed by Spain in Madrid in a 0-5 defeat, meaning they would end the campaign with seventeen goals scored but also fifteen conceded. Due to the revamp of the previous Nations League and poor performance of Greece, Romania managed to grab the last spot for UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs, and was drawn in Path A. Shall it had won it, Romania would have been drawn in Group C of the final tournament, but it did not, Iceland winning in Reykjavík and eliminating them. Their performance cost Cosmin Contra his coaching position, as he was changed with Mirel Rădoi before the play-offs.[6][7][8]
UEFA Nations League 2020-21
For the second Nations League edition, Romania was drawn against Austria, Norway and Northern Ireland. A very lacklustre 1-1 draw against Northern Ireland in the first matchday was followed by an impressing 3-2 victory over Austria in Klagenfurt am Wörthersee. This meant that, after the first two matchdays, Romania was on the first place and supposed to promote to League A, but a 0-4 defeat to Norway in Oslo and a 0-1 defeat to Austria on homesoil meant Romania would fall back on the third place before the last two matches.
For the home match against Norway, the Romanians were given a 3-0 victory from UEFA after the impossibility of Norwegians to travel to Bucharest, following Omar Elabdellaoui's positive test for COVID-19 and the restrictive measures imposed by the Norwegian Ministry of Health. Another 1-1 draw against Northern Ireland in Belfast meant Romania would end on the third position and remain in League B.[9]
2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
Following an acceptable Nations League campaign, Romania was drawn from Pot 2 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, in a group with Germany, Euro 2016 revelation Iceland who eliminated them from UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs two months prior, future revelation North Macedonia, Armenia again and Liechtenstein. In their first match, Romania managed a hard victory over North Macedonia in Bucharest after two quick Macedonian goals and a late winner from Ianis Hagi. Three days later, Germany managed a victory over them on the same stadium despite a huge opportunity from Nicolae Stanciu in the last minutes. This was followed by a shameful 2-3 defeat to Armenia in Yerevan. [10]
Poor performance in the June friendlies, combined with the results so far gave the feeling of another poor World Cup campaign, just like last time, before a shocking 2-0 victory over Iceland in Reykjavík, followed by a mediocre 2-0 victory over Liechtenstein and a 0-0 draw in Skopje against North Macedonia. Initial group revelation Armenia fell behind in the following matches and it was Romania and North Macedonia who'd fight for the second place, but despite a heroic defeat to Germany, in which Romania held the lead for almost an hour, and a victory over Armenia in Bucharest, a 0-0 draw against Iceland meant that Romania would depend on Iceland to hold a draw against North Macedonia in the last matchday. North Macedonia won, however, and went over Romania by a single point, eliminating them from another campaign.
UEFA Nations League 2022-23
Romania was drawn from Pot 3 in the UEFA Nations League season 2022-23, in a group against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland and Montenegro. In a similar scenario like five years prior, Montenegro comfortably won against Romania 2-0 in Podgorica, which was then followed by another defeat, to Bosnia and Herzegovina in Zenica and a lacklustre victory over Finland in Bucharest.
With little to nothing achieved so far, Romania was crushed by Montenegro in Bucharest in a 0-3 defeat, meaning that chances to retain the place in League B were dim. A 1-1 draw against Finland in Helsinki meant Romania was again at the expense of other team, this time Montenegro, who needed not to lose against Finland, which eventually happened despite Romania's comfortable victory over eventual group winners Bosnia and Herzegovina. Therefore, Romania relegated to League C for the next Nations League edition.
UEFA Euro 2024
The terrible Nations League performance meant Romania would be drawn from Pot 3 in Euro 2024 qualifiers, which led them to a group with Switzerland, Israel, Kosovo, Belarus and Andorra. Two initial victories against Andorra and Belarus in Bucharest, followed by a lacklustre 0-0 against Kosovo in Pristina gave the impression of another despondent campaign before a shocking comeback against Switzerland in Lucerne, Valentin Mihăilă scoring a brace in the last three minutes. This was then followed by a 1-1 draw against Israel in Bucharest before a controversial match against Kosovo; the match was interrupted for almost an hour after an extremist side of the Romanian fans began chastising Kosovar players and chant Serbian-irredentist chants, with the Kosovars leaving the pitch in protest. Two late goals for Romania after the match restarted, a draw against Belarus on neutral pitch because of their involvement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a comfortable victory over Andorra meant Romania had to obtain a single point in the ninth matchday in order to mathematically qualify for Euro 2024.
In the ninth matchday. Romania faced a tired Israeli side, who had to play four games in nine days because of the Israel-Hamas war, on neutral pitch. Eran Zahavi stunned Romania in the 88th second of the match before George Pușcaș scored an equalizer eight minutes later. One hour in the match, Ianis Hagi assured Romania's qualification to Euro 2024 with a goal that meant Romania would win 2-1 over Israel. Moreover, Romania went on and won against Switzerland in Bucharest too, meaning they would win the group and be drawn from Pot 2 at the final tournament, in a heroic act of the Tricolours.
EURO 2024 Matchday 1 game opening Romania vs Ukraine
At the final tournament, Romania was drawn against Belgium, Slovakia and neighbours Ukraine in Group E. In the first matchday, Romania met Ukraine in Munich, and achieved their best result in the European Championship final tournament: a Nicolae Stanciu screamer that came in as the fourth most beautiful goal of the tournament, a long shot from Răzvan Marin and a tap-in from Denis Drăguș gave Romania a 3-0 victory after not playing in an international tournament for eight years. The victory was only the second victory of Romania at a European Championship, the first and only other one being against England in 2000 in a 3-2 with a last minute winner. Following this performance, in the second matchday, Romania was stunned by Youri Tielemans of Belgium in the 74th second, and despite putting a decent fight, lost the match 0-2, Kevin De Bruyne scoring a controversial goal in the final minutes.
All the four teams had the same amount of points at the end of the second matchday, three, but because of the overall goal difference, Romania was on the first position at this point, with three goals scored and a +1 difference. In the third matchday, Slovakia and Romania drew in a comfortable match as both teams assured qualification at that score, as neither Ukraine or Belgium managed to win the other match. With the table unchanged from the second matchday, Romania was crowned as the group winner despite all the teams ending with four points, having a victory against fourth place Ukraine, a better goal difference than third place Slovakia and more goals scored than second place Belgium.
In the Round of 16, Romania returned to Munich and faced the Netherlands. Despite a good start, Cody Gakpo stunned the Tricolours in the 20th minute, before Donyell Malen's brace in the last minutes. Despite losing 0-3 against the Dutch side and leaving the tournament relatively early, Romania's performance was praised by numerous figures of the football world, achieving a very good result for the overall level of the national team. [11][12][13][14][15]
Romania's most fierce rivalry is against their neighbours Hungary. The reason for the rivalry are the general feelings for the other country, as Hungary and Romania have a long-standing dispute over certain parts of Romania that were historically part of Hungary, most well-known being Transylvania. This has been the subject of the constant squabble between Hungarian and Romanian fans during the direct matches of the two countries or clubs from them.
The first match between the two countries took place in Bucharest, on October 4, 1936. Romania initially took the lead through Silviu Bindea, but two goals in the second half scored by Gyula Lázár and Géza Toldi led to Hungary's victory. At that moment, Hungary was, if not the best, among the best teams on the planet, and after this result, impressive results of the Hungarians were obtained during their matches against Romania, most notably the worst defeat of Romania to the date, a 0-9 defeat in Budapest on June 6, 1948. Other notable Hungarian victories include the 7-2 on September 30, 1945, two 5-1's, one in Bucharest on October 24, 1948 and one in Budapest on September 19, 1954, and a 3-0 in Bucharest on October 12, 1947.
Romania's first victory against Hungary came almost 63 years after the first match, in the seventeenth derby overall. Romania won 2-0 in Bucharest on June 5, 1999, in the qualifying stage of UEFA Euro 2000. Since then, Hungary has yet to defeat Romania again, and Romania won five more times, including a notable 3-0 in the qualifying stage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Due to the general antipathy between the two peoples, derbies often led to skirmishes between the two fans. The worst incidents were recorded on September 6, 2013 and October 8, 2014, during the derbies of the two countries in Bucharest for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2016, respectively. During the first match, Hungarians lit many flames, booed the Romanian anthem, and after the 0-3 defeat were quickly transported back home, not before some of them fought with Romanian fans in the Old Town of Bucharest. After Romania's elimination in the Second Round by Greece, many Hungarians thanked Greeks and publicly insulted Romania on their social media accounts. One year later, the fights between the two groups of fans led to 58 people seeking medical care after Romanian fans jumped the fence separating their sector from the one Hungarian fans were in and attacked them. The match ended 1-1 and fights were again commenced in the Old Town, where many terraces of the local coffee shops and bars were destroyed by Hungarian fans.[16]
A notable rivalry was built with Greece, as it is the team Romania has met the most times: thirty-six (Romania met Yugoslavia thirty-seven times, a record which was annulled after the dismantle of Yugoslavia). Out of all the matches overall, Romania won eighteen of them, dominating the rivalry. Greece won an additional eight matches and ten ended in a draw.
The only notable opportunity the two teams have met was in the Second Round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, to which Greece qualifying after defeating Romania in a two-legged play-off, winning 3-1 in Athens and drawing 1-1 in Bucharest.
Minor rivalries
Montenegro
In the last period, a small rivalry was built against Montenegro. The two teams met a total of seven times, and Romania's 4-0 victory in a friendly on May 31, 2008 was Montenegro's biggest defeat up to a 0-7 defeat in London in 2019. The teams met in the qualifying stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and it was Montenegro who eliminated Romania after a 1-0 victory in Podgorica which came after a 1-1 draw on Romanian soil. The two teams met again one year later, in Group 4 of League C of the inaugural season of the UEFA Nations League. Romania avenged itself with a 1-0 victory in Podgorica, which was not enough however to win the group over mutual neighbour Serbia. In the third edition of the same competition, the two teams met again, this time Montenegro decimating Romania twice, 2-0 in Podgorica and 3-0 in Bucharest.
Kosovo
Romania is a strong supporter of Serbia's territorial integrity and has not recognized the legitimacy of Kosovo's independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008. The two teams met only four times, but all the matches led to problems and antipathy feelings between the two peoples.
2023 match
On September 12, 2023, the two teams met in Bucharest for the qualifying stage of UEFA Euro 2024. In the eighteenth minute, the Kosovar players left the pitch in a protest after a bottle was thrown from the Romanian sector, which was combined with the two banners quoting "Basarabia e România” (”Bessarabia is Romania” in Romanian) and ”Kosovo je Srbija” (”Kosovo is Serbia” in Serbian) and the constant pro-Serbia chants of the Romanian extremist fanbase ”Uniți sub Tricolor” (”United under Tricolour”). The match was interrupted for fifty minutes and the Football Federation of Kosovo appealed for a 3-0 victory over Romania because of the incidents, which was turned down by UEFA. Romania won the match 2-0.
2024 matches
The two teams have met again in the first leg match in group of League C of the UEFA Nations League, season 2024–25. The match took place on Kosovo's Fadil Vokrri Stadium, on 6 September . Once again, the mutual animosity between the two sides was evident, as during the opening ceremony, the Kosovar fans booed while the Romanian anthem was playing. At the end of the match, after a decisive 3–0 victory for Romania, the Kosovar fans threw various objects at Romania's squad while they were leaving the pitch.[17]
When Romania played Lithuania on 9 September, Romanian fans chanted anti-Kosovo messages which resulted in a €52,500 fine and a partial closure of Arena Națională for the match against Kosovo the very next month. [18]
Already a tense match after the incidents in Kosovo and Lithuania, the two sides faced each other again in Bucharest. A victory for the hosts would have meant promotion to League B of the competition's next season. Kosovo needed a 3 goals difference victory in order to take Romania's spot before the last matchday, and dominated the match. As the final whistle was approaching, after suffering a tackle, Kosovar player Albion Rrahmani attacked Romanian player Denis Alibec, before both teams began fighting on the pitch, the Danish referee booking three players, two of Kosovo and one of Romania. The Romanians proceeded to take a free kick, a moment again disrupted by the Kosovars as they walked over the Romanian fan sector to engage in a verbal fight with the Romanian fans who allegedly began shouting "Serbia! Serbia!". [19]
In the 97th minute of the match, four minutes after the fight between Alibec and Rrahamni took place, the Kosovars left the pitch despite their manager's plead to not. While leaving the pitch, Kosovo's goalkeeper Arijanet Muric was seen showing the middle finger to the Romanian fans. The Romanian team remained on the pitch for one more hour until the referee suspended the match. Meanwhile, the Kosovar players trashed their changing room, leaked pictures of trash and pizza being posted online. Problems continued even after this, with both delegations almost fighting again in the press conference room. [20]
The match was counted as "abandoned". No matter the final result, Romania was crowned as the group winner after a 4–1 victory against Cyprus three days later, despite the final result still pending. However, on 20 November, five days after the match, UEFA announced that Romania won the match 3–0, but will have to play one match at home without fans and face a €128,000 fine, while Kosovo would also receive a €6,000 fine for forfeiting the match.
Kits
Romania's kits have been supplied by Spanish company Joma from 2015, which replaced Adidas following a three-decade contract[citation needed]. In 2017, the Romanian Football Federation announced its first brand identity and a new kit; the new emblem references the coat of arms of all five Romanian provinces with the intention to symbolise the unity of Romania.[21]
The Romania national team mainly plays its home games at the Arena Națională in Bucharest, the largest stadium in the country. It opened in 2011 and has a capacity of 55,600 seats. The stadium is a Category 4 venue and hosted the 2012 Europa League final and Euro 2020.
Romania's UEFA Nations League games, major tournament qualifiers and friendlies are to be televised on Pro TV up until 2022. Between 2008 and 2014, Antena 1 had the rights to broadcast the country's home matches, friendlies and qualifiers. From 2014 to 2018, Romania's qualifying matches for the European Championship and the World Cup, plus two pre-Euro and one post-Euro friendly match were taken over by TVR. The friendly matches that were not broadcast by TVR were taken over by Pro TV. In March 2019, the latter took over all broadcasts of Romania's fixtures from TVR, with the effective broadcasting starting in September 2018.
In 2014, Cristian Manea (pictured) broke Grațian Sepi's record from 1928 for being the youngest debutant of Romania. He was surpassed by Enes Sali in 2021.
Football at the Summer Olympics was first played officially in 1908. The Olympiads between 1896 and 1980 were only open for amateur players. The 1984 and 1988 tournaments were open to players with no appearances in the World Cup. After the 1988 Olympics, the football event was changed into a tournament for U23 teams, with a maximum of three older players. See Romania Olympic football team for competition records from 1992 until present day.
^The Romania v Kosovo match was suspended at 0–0 during second-half stoppage time, after Romanian supporters allegedly began chanting pro-Serbian and anti-Kosovo slogans. The Kosovo team left the pitch, with the match abandoned thereafter.[22] On 20 November 2024, UEFA announced the match had been awarded as a 3–0 win for Romania.[23]
^Egypt were to play Romania in December 1937 in the qualification round, however Egypt refused to play during the Ramadan month, and as a result were withdrawn from the competition by FIFA, so Romania qualified automatically.
MacDonald, Tom (2002). The World Encyclopedia of Soccer: A Complete Guide to the Beautiful Game. Anness Publishing. ISBN978-0-7548-1124-4.
Melenco, Ionel; Caraiola, Dragoș; Popa, Cristian (2020). Istoria echipei naționale de fotbal a României. Ovidius University Press. ISBN978-6-0606-0007-7.
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