Romania picked up their first win at a major tournament for 24 years as they produced a superb display to beat Ukraine 3-0 in Munich. The pre-tournament verdict on Romania had been to expect cagey encounters, with only five goals conceded in qualifying but problems when it came to finding the back of the net themselves.
They did so three times in their opening Group E match at Euro 2024, taking the lead against the run of play in the first-half when Nicolae Stanciu whipped a superb first-time finish into the top corner. It had come against the run of play, Ukraine dominating possession in the early stages and Mykhailo Mudryk a real threat down the left, but that strike flipped the momentum of the match and Romania were much the better side heading into half-time. Stanciu went close to a remarkable second, as his corner was whipped in and bounced back off the bar.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin had a role to play in that opening goal, with his poor pass out leading to the Romania attack, and he was also at fault for the second after the break, letting a Razvan Marin strike from distance through his hands. And a few minutes later it was 3-0, though this time there was nothing Lunin could do. Dennis Man was allowed to stroll in the box, he rolled the ball across the face of goal and Denis Dragus was left with the simplest of finishes, as Romania secured their biggest ever European Championship win.
