Serhiy Rebrov’s Ukraine were shocked today in Munich by underdogs Romania, whose solid defending and explosive counter-attacking ability saw them romp to a 3-0 victory in the first game of Group E.
Nicolae Stanciu opened the scoring after just under half an hour with a stunning finish after he capitalised on Andriy Lunin’s error, and Ukraine never truly recovered. The second half saw them lack urgency and exposed several issues for Rebrov’s side to work on before they meet Slovakia on Friday. In the Romania camp, however, the focus will be on reproducing and improving on their impressive display.
Here are five things we learnt from this afternoon’s match.
Possession doesn’t win points
Though Serhiy Rebrov was quick to downplay it in his press conference yesterday, Ukraine went into this game (and group) as favourites. They began the game in a fitting fashion, dominating the ball and linking up their play nicely – but what they will learn from this game is that that means nothing without more action in front of goal.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe first half saw Ukraine enjoy more than 70% of the ball, but without recording a single shot on target (four shots overall, with three blocked). Their policy of patience didn’t pay off in this game, as Romania were happy to wait for their opportunities to strike on the break and confident in their defensive abilities.
Passing the ball around the midfield is well and good, but Ukraine need to work on their ability to create clear-cut chances if they are to climb out of the goal difference hole they’ve fallen into this afternoon.
Romania’s explosive abilities will be a handful for opponents
For Romania, having little of the ball didn’t matter because they were so effective when they got hold of it. Wingers Dennis Man and Florinel Coman showcased their pace on the break early on and needed very little time to take the ball from their own box to Ukraine’s; the full-backs could be equally explosive. Andrei Rațiu’s charge forward in the second half was the source of Răzvan Marin’s goal, for instance.
Embed from Getty ImagesThese explosive and quick-thinking traits were also a key factor in Stanciu’s opener. Though his finish and Andriy Lunin’s poor clearance will be the talking points, the front line were reacted fastest to react to the error and Ukraine’s defenders were left scrambling and the wrong side of them, unable to put in a tackle or block.
Ukraine must improve service to frustrated attackers
Perhaps the most irritated by today’s defeat will be Mykhailo Mudryk and Artem Dovbyk. The Chelsea man was Ukraine’s best hope in terms of chances created, sending several crosses whizzing into the box in the second half, but nobody was there to get on the end of them. Dovbyk, meanwhile, who was so important in his nation’s progress through the playoffs to reach EURO2024, struggled to impact the game. Despite their domination of possession, Ukraine took until the 77th minute to get their first shot on target and overall only forced three saves from Florin Niță. Whenever Ukraine looked to break, whoever was on the ball seemed to lack options and they couldn’t pick out the right passes to set up clear-cut chances. If Rebrov’s men are to progress, they will have to reevaluate their strategy around the opposition box; simply building possession in the middle of the park will not suffice.
Solid Romanian defence an unsolvable puzzle for Ukraine
Though Ukraine should have done better, they were well and truly stifled by their opponents. Romania’s defence did an excellent job to withstand Ukraine’s early sustained possession, stopped their attackers finding space, and were first to almost every aerial duel and set piece. They were organised, compact, and had a coherent game plan; their clearances weren’t frantic and rushed, but rather a deliberate start to a counter-attack in many cases.
Embed from Getty ImagesRadu Drăgușin deserves particular plaudits for the shift he put in at centre-back. His physicality, aerial presence, and composure were key in neutralising Ukraine’s attackers, while the aggressive pressing from himself and his compatriots gave their opponents no time to plan and place a pass. Drăgușin has only nine league appearance for Tottenham Hotspur, but if this game is anything to go by, his Euros campaign might give Ange Postecoglou food for thought.
Iordanescu’s attack put paid to criticism over goalscoring
Romania’s defensive pedigree was already known to an extent, having conceded only five goals in their ten qualifying matches, but what was more in doubt was their ability at the other end of the pitch. Though they topped qualifying Group I undefeated, they only scored 16 goals to runners-up Switzerland’s 22. After two dull goalless draws in their warmup games, some wondered whether their defensive capabilities would be sufficient to make up for what seemed to be a lack of firepower up top.
They well and truly answered that question today: their three goals were from three different players, with a further two providing assists, showing the attacking depth they have. None were goals to be sniffed at, either: Stanciu and Marin’s efforts were excellent finishes with brilliant technique, and while Denis Drăguș’ third might not have been as impressive, the pass that Dennis Man picked out through the legs of the Ukrainian defenders to set him up certainly was. Some might have wondered if they would have to rely on their defensive solidarity for this tournament, but today’s game shows that they will be playing to win – not merely survive – and, if Stanciu’s opener is anything to go by, they’ll do so in style.
Read what Ukrainian manager Serhiy Rebrov had to say after the match, see how the Romanian manager and captain reacted, and follow the rest of the action from EURO2024 here on FromTheSpot.