Key events
15 min: Should be said that neither side look like they are currently playing for a draw. Which is a very good thing.
13 min: Romania win a free kick 40 yards from goal and Razvan Marin tries his luck, belting a shot that whizzes past the Slovakian wall and just wide of Nita’s right-hand post. Not a million miles away!
11 min: Romania respond! Ratiu, who finds himself at left wing, despite apparently playing right back, plays a neat one-two with Coman and bends his shot – a la Zaccagni – towards the top corner. But Nita is equal to it, palming it wide. Hagi latches onto the rebound but sends his shot high and wide. Had that been on target, Nita would have been struggling!
8 min: Slovakia lug a hopeful cross into the box, but it turns out to be a useful one with Schranz lurking at the back post. Remember the goal he scored against Ukraine in the same manner? But Bancu, Romania’s left back, stands his ground and is able to head behind for a corner, from which Slovakia’s Kucka – formerly of Watford – has a free header! It flies over, what a waste!
6 min: Lots of hustle, lots of bustle but no chances as yet. Sorry to say that the pitch does look like it’s cutting up in Frankfurt, as it has there in previous games.
4 min: A cracking little tackle by Hagi on the towering Slovakia centre back Skriniar as the PSG man saunters into midfield. A challenge much appreciated by Iordanescu, Romania’s manager.
2 min: The atmosphere is raucous, with Romanian fans edging it the stands. There is a pleasing synergy to the blue and yellow colour of the advertising hoardings for a certain German supermarket and that of the teams out on the pitch.
Peeeeeeeep! And we’re off in Frankfurt, where is a piping 30°C. The roof is open, unlike when I was there for England v Denmark last week.
“Whether he’s any cop or not aside, you have to admire the indestructible ego of someone happy to take the same shirt number as your dad, when he is seen as the greatest player the country has ever produced”, emails Graeme Neill.
Agreed. Not sure Hagi has a confidence issue, although despite his shirt number, he is not really operating as a classic No 10. Today Hagi will play right wing, while Stanciu and Razvan Marin will fulfill the attacking midfield roles.
The two sides are out in Frankfurt! It should be said that either side could possibly lose this game and still go through but a lot depends on results elsewhere if that is to happen. A reminder of the table, as it stands before kick off.
Whisper it, but Slovakia’s Ivan Schranz is joint top of the Golden Boot standings, with two goals.
Slovakia were unchanged for the first two matches but they make one here: forward David Strelec comes in to replace Robert Bozenik.
Romania make two changes from the side that lost 2-0 to Belgium: Hagi, son of Romania great Gheorghe, has been brought in to replace Dennis Man in a second attacking switch from coach Edward Iordanescu. I’m a little surprised at that: Man was not at his best in the last game but has had a great season with Parma, helping them back into Serie A.
Florinel Coman started the first game against Ukraine but was dropped for the Belgium clash, replaced by the pacy Valentin Mihaila. Coman comes back into the XI here at Mihaila’s expense.
Barry Glendenning is helming the other MBM in this group: Ukraine v Belgium. Interestingly neither Oleksandr Zinchenko nor Mykhailo Mudryk are in the Ukraine XI.
Stating the bleeding obvious here, but it should be said that this is a big deal for both nations. Romania have only qualified once for the last 16 in their five Euro appearances and that was in 2000. Regardless of whether they qualify as group winners or scrape through as one of the four best third-placed teams, this would represent a huge achievement for Edward Iordanescu and co.
If you don’t count Slovakia’s record as 1976 champions Czechoslovakia, they have only reached the Euros twice as an independent nation, including back in 2016 where they reached the knockouts before being dispatched by semi-finallists Germany 3-0 in the round of 16. If you do count Slovakia’s record as 1976 champions Czechoslovakia, and you probably should, this is their sixth appearance at the finals.
This is a breaking story from the England camp.
The teams!
Slovakia: Dubravka, Pekarik, Vavro, Skriniar, Hancko, Kucka, Lobotka, Duda, Schranz, Strelec, Haraslin.
Subs: Obert, Rigo, Gyomber, Suslov, Bozenik, Tupta, Benes, Rodak, Hrosovsky, De Marco, Duris, Bero, Ravas, Sauer, Kosa.
Romania: Nita, Ratiu, Burca, Dragusin, Bancu, Marius Marin, Hagi, Razvan Marin, Stanciu, Coman, Dragus.
Subs: Rus, Nedelcearu, Alibec, Cicaldau, Puscas, Moldovan, Mihaila, Olaru, Tarnovanu, Man, Mogos, Sorescu, Racovitan, Birligea, Sut.
Referee: Daniel Siebert (Germany)
Preamble
Never before has a European Championship group had four teams all on three points after two games. But here we are.
This means a few things, but the most pertinent for this game is thus: no matter what the result is between Belgium and Ukraine, if Slovakia v Romania ends in a draw, both will qualify for the knockout stage, with Slovakia finishing on four points, which will certainly be enough for them to finish as one of the four best third-placed teams.
This could be problematic, and there will doubtless be dissenting voices if the two teams play out a boring goalless draw to guarantee passage to the round of 16, but both head coaches of Slovakia and Romania have been falling over themselves that they will be trying to win the game.
Slovakia head coach Francesco Calzona: “We are professionals. We know that the draw might help us to qualify for the last 16, but that doesn’t mean anything because we want to play our own match. We deserve this opportunity to progress as we have played good football.”
Romania head coach Edward Iordanescu: “We want to win the group. If we win the group at least theoretically you have a certain advantage, especially in terms of extra rest days and also of the opponents. But the most important thing is to qualify, this is what our objective is.”
Hmmmm. Let’s hope for a belting game.
Kick-off: 5pm BST/6pm in Germany.