* The fantastic definition in Romania’s first goal against Ukraine
Until Stanciu’s goal, twenty-two goals had been scored in the seven games that have been played until German noon on Monday, June 17, in the Euro 2024 Championship. None of those goals carry the beauty with which the Romanian midfielder broke down Lunin’s resistance., the Ukrainian goalkeeper of Real Madrid. It was 29 minutes into the first half at the Allianz Arena in Munich, where Romania and Russia opened group E of the competition. The procedure was balanced and there was no subjugation of one team to another. The play that began to tip the victory towards the Romanians has at its root a severe error and at its crown a sublime execution.
Romania was pressing for an exit. The Ukrainians received from their backs and had to unload in the opposite direction to their goal. Thus the ball reached Lunin, the outstanding goalkeeper who played almost the entire Champions League with the eventual champion team. Pressed by the mark, he had to play quickly to the side. The pass fell short, into the right boot of Dennis Man, a midfielder who rose with Parma to Calcio’s top division. He controlled and unloaded behind with a light pass for the arrival of Nicolae Stanciu, a 31-year-old midfielder who plays for Damac FC in the Saudi Professional League and is the captain of the national team.
Outside the crescent of the area, he took the ball with his right foot and nailed it into the goalkeeper’s cross corner. It was one to zero for the Romanians, who then extended the score in the complement. First it was Razvan Marin at 53 minutes with another right cross from outside the area at 53 minutes and, four minutes later, Denis Dragus pushed a back pass from Dennis Man under the goal. Romania won it with authority and fluidity, after Stanciu scored the best goal – so far – of the Euro Cup.
Stanciu himself was chosen by UEFA as best player of the match. His statistics say that he had an accuracy of 79 percent in the 87 minutes he played. He now plays in the Saudi league, but his career spans five countries and seven clubs. He started playing for his hometown club Alba Iulia, moving to FC Vaslui, where his talent soon took him to Steaua București, which today competes in the second division of the Romanian league. Anderlecht of Belgium signed him in 2016 in a record transfer for the club. From there he moved to Sparta Prague in the Czech Republic and then jumped to Saudi Arabia to play for Al-Ahli. He returned to the Czech Republic to play for Slavia Prague, from where he left to compete in the Chinese league, with Wuhan Three Towns. From there he joined his current club, Damac FC.
Romania will play the second round against Belgium on Saturday, June 22 at German night, while Ukraine will have revenge against Slovenia a day before, on Friday, June 21 at noon in the host country. Group E of the Euro Cup will conclude on Wednesday, June 26, with duels between Romania and Slovenia and Belgium and Ukraine.
