Euro 2024 surprise team Romania is set to challenge the Netherlands in Munich on Tuesday night for a place in the quarterfinals. Edward Iordanescu’s squad finished at the top of a very competitive Group E, earning them a matchup against the Dutch, who unexpectedly ended up third in Group D.
In a historic first for the European Championships, all four teams in Group E, Romania, Ukraine, Belgium, and Slovakia ended up with the same number of points, each having one win, one draw, and one loss.
Romania emerged victorious due to their superior goal tally, which included a remarkable three-goal victory over Ukraine and a crucial draw against Slovakia, highlighted by Razvan Marin’s second goal of the tournament from a penalty.
This achievement marks Romania's return to the knockout stages of a major tournament after 24 years, last advancing beyond the group stage in the 2000 European Championships.
They bypassed the last-16 round then, going directly to the quarter-finals where they were defeated by Italy. Romania has historically struggled at this stage, having been eliminated in the round of 16 in the World Cups of 1934, 1938, 1990, and 1998.
Despite only one win in their last seven matches across all tournaments, Romania remains hopeful as they face a Dutch team that hasn't lived up to expectations so far.
The Netherlands, led by Ronald Koeman, had a mixed group stage performance. They relied on Wout Weghorst to complete a comeback against Poland, experienced controversy with a disallowed Xavi Simons goal in a draw against France, and lost 3-2 to Austria after twice equalizing.
The Dutch, however, can take solace in avoiding the stronger knockout bracket that includes Belgium, Spain, Germany, and Portugal. They are also the only team left in their path that has previously won the men’s European Championship. Historically, the Netherlands has dominated Romania, losing only once in their last 13 encounters, a 1-0 defeat in a Euro 2008 qualifier, which they avenged with a 2-0 win in the finals that year.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Romania's coach Iordanescu has to make an unexpected change to his defense, as left-back Nicusor Bancu is suspended due to accumulating yellow cards, with his second caution coming in the group stage match against Slovakia. Right-back Vasile Mogos and the more attack-minded Deian Sorescu are the top candidates to fill in for Bancu, with Mogos likely getting the nod due to his defensive skills, which would result in Andrei Ratiu shifting to the left side.On a positive note, two-goal scorer Razvan Marin is back in full training after a brief break due to fatigue. This gives Iordanescu a pleasant selection headache for the attack, as Ianis Hagi, Dennis Man, Florinel Coman, and Valentin Mihaila are all competing for two positions flanking Denis Dragus.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands have a full squad available for their match in Munich, though a tactical shift in midfield is anticipated. Joey Veerman, who was substituted after just 35 minutes in their final group game against Austria, is expected to make way for the returning Xavi Simons. This change would see Tijjani Reijnders move to a deeper role alongside Jerdy Schouten, who will face suspension if he receives another yellow card on Tuesday.
Striker Joshua Zirkzee is back in full training after a brief illness, but Memphis Depay, who recently scored his first goal of the tournament, is likely to retain his starting spot as he continues his pursuit of Robin van Persie's record of 50 goals for the national team.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Romania possible starting lineup:Nita; Mogos, Dragusin, Burca, Ratiu; R. Marin, S. Marin, Stanciu; Hagi, Dragus, Coman
Netherlands possible starting lineup:
Verbruggen; Dumfries, De Vrij, Van Dijk, Ake; Reijnders, Schouten; Frimpong, Simons, Gakpo; Depay
EXPERT PREDICTIONS
Netherlands 2-1 Romania
Despite Romania's commendable efforts, their disappointing loss to a lackluster Belgium team revealed their vulnerabilities, which stronger teams can exploit. Their initial victory over Ukraine was aided by two goalkeeping mistakes.
The Netherlands, although not yet at their best, have a dynamic attack under Koeman that is expected to prevail. This should set them up for a quarter-final clash against either Turkey or their group-stage opponents, Austria.
