New Delhi: Both the teams make it into the Knockout stages as Romania advance as the winners of Group E. Slovakia on the other hand, also qualify as one of the best third-placed teams in this Euro campaign.
Since a draw was all that was needed, this could have easily ended in a deadlock, but both the teams showed great intent and a tremendous amount of urgency to make a statement victory.
Belgium finished second in this group after their match against Ukraine concluded in a 0-0 draw. Ukraine were left heartbroken as they got eliminated even though everyone got four points.
Coming back to the game, Ondrej Duda’s excellent header gave us the lead in the 24th minute. While Romania were caught sleeping, Pekarik played the ball back from the right and Kucka produced a fantastic cross.
Despite his modest stature, the midfielder nodded in excellently. Additionally, there was nothing insignificant about Romania’s equalizer.
In the 36th minute, Hagi skinned Hancko on the right, earning a penalty kick. Razvin Marin slammed it into the upper left corner with the seeming inconsequence after the referee deliberated about the location of the collision.
The second half saw plenty of action, yet aside from routine Dubravka stops and a key Nita save from Strelec, it ended level-sparking jubilation in the humid Frankfurt rain. Romania will face the best third-placed side out of Groups C and D.
Key Highlights from the eventful draw
In the 11th minute, Dubravka made a crucial save, his first significant action of the game, responding quickly to the advancing Ratiu. The right-back, moving in from the left side, shifted to his preferred right foot and curled a shot. Dubravka adeptly parried it to his left.
Slovakia opened the scoring, with Juraj Kucka finding Ondrej Duda from the right wing. He put up a pinpoint cross in the opposition box, and Duda made no mistake. Slovakia went up in the 24th minute.
In the 36th minute, David Hancko brought down Ianis Hagi inside the penalty box. The poor tackle led to the VAR giving out a penalty chance to Romania. Razvan Marin took the penalty and thumped it inside the net. No chance for Dubravka. Romania leveled up.
In the first 45 minutes, Slovakia recorded nine shots, their highest number in the first half of any of their 14 matches at major tournaments. They made promising advances on both wings, but their final delivery was lacking despite scoring a goal, with Romania frequently defending desperately. Schranz had only nine touches in the first half, and Slovakia needed to involve him more if they aimed to secure all the points. Conversely, Romania had to remain vigilant to win the game, as Duda’s header was too easily conceded. However, both teams were to benefit from a draw and seemed to aim for that.
Both teams have advanced to the knockout stages, with Romania emerging as the winners of Group E. Slovakia also secured their spot by qualifying as one of the best third-placed teams in this Euro campaign. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today