The Romanian national team found itself at the center of a scandal after the group stage of the 2024 European Football Championship ended. The team's head coach, Edward Iordanescu, strongly rejected allegations that his team deliberately drew with Slovakia in order to ensure that both teams would qualify for the play-offs and thereby eliminate Ukraine from the tournament.
"It's a shame!" - said Jordanescu emotionally during the press conference.
Development
The match between Romania and Slovakia ended with a score of 1:1, which suited both teams to advance to the next round. This result was fatal for the national team of Ukraine, which, despite having the same number of points as the other teams in the group, could not advance due to the worse goal difference.
Accusations and Iordanescu's reaction
Before the match, football circles actively discussed the possibility of a negotiated outcome. After the game, critics began to accuse Romania and Slovakia of collusion. Yordanescu did not stay away from these accusations and resolutely defended his team and its honor.
"There are savages who should apologize to us for the position they took before the match. I think everyone could see that the teams were out for 80 minutes and then of course everyone pursued their own interests."
Analysis of the game
The coach emphasized that his players gave their all on the field and tried to win. However, in the last 10 minutes of the game, both teams began to act more cautiously, so as not to risk their chances of reaching the playoffs.
"It was not pleasant. They should have just waited for the match and seen everything. These people just blew us away. But not only us, the team, but also our fans and the whole world. We showed that we have character."
Historical context
This incident marked the first time in the history of the European Championships when all four teams in the group scored the same number of points. Ukraine became the first national team to fail to qualify for the playoffs with four points since the expansion of the Euro.
Results and forecasts
Despite all the accusations, the Romanian national team continues its way to Euro 2024. Fans and experts are looking forward to the next matches, hoping for new sensations from this team. One can only hope that such incidents do not overshadow sports achievements and fair play.
Editor: Vitalina Patskan
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