By Theo Gardner
All tied on three points, with one win and one loss each, any of the four teams in Group E could progress through to the knockouts. Likewise, any of the sides could top the group, and any of them could crash out in fourth place. It’s likely to be a dramatic and nervous afternoon of football.
Romania are top of the group on goal difference, having put three past the Ukrainian defence in their opener. It was an emphatic start to the tournament for the Tricolorii, who scored three goals in a European Championship game for the first time since their famous win over England in 2000.
Their lightning start slowed in the second game of the tournament as they fell victim to a 2-0 loss against a strong Belgium side. They spent the whole game in an uphill battle after going 1-0 down just two minutes in courtesy of a strike from Aston Villa’s Youri Tielemans.
Slovakia have not beat Romania since 1942. But they stunned Belgium in their opener, winning 1-0 after Ivan Schranz pounced on a defensive mistake just seven minutes in.
Schranz bagged early on again against Ukraine; however Francesco Clazona’s men would ultimately lose the fixture 2-1. They now sit third in the group with a goal difference of 0.
While supporting their side in Frankfurt, both sets of fans will have one eye on the Ukraine-Belgium fixture, happening at the same time in Stuttgart. With the group so delicately balanced, we could see factors such as goal difference, goals scored, head-to-head record and even fair play determine the group’s final standings.
For both teams tonight, a draw is enough to ensure a place in the last 16.
The winners of the group will book a fixture against a third-placed side, while the team that progresses in second place is faced with the daunting task of playing France in the next round.