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Viva la Espana! Champions of Europe!

Re-live the Euro 2008 Championship by selecting a match below or visiting the dedicated site Euro2008TV.com for articles, photos, and video highlights of your favorite team.

 

Romania Euro 2008 Online Streams and TV Schedules

#Date	Time (US/Eastern)	Match	Result	Stage	Venue
Jun-09	11:50am	Romania - France	0:0	Group C	Zurich
Jun-13	11:50am	Italy - Romania	1:1	Group C	Zurich
Jun-17	02:30pm	Netherlands - Romania	2:0	Group C	Berne

Romania at Euro 2008

	Group C France Italy Netherlands Romania View all group C details

Romania- Ready to cause an upset

Romania may be in the toughest group at Euro2008, but they will be optimistic of building on their performances during the qualifiers. Their most notable result was a 1-0 defeat of the Netherlands, which will prove a massive boost ahead of their game against the Dutch on June 17.  Victor Piturca, Romania’s 51-year-old coach, has an abundance of talent at his disposal, and he has succeeded in finding the perfect blend of defensive solidity and a creative attack.   It is not an exaggeration to say that Piturca has resurrected the Romanian national team.  Romania have not played in a major tournament since Euro2000, when they lost to Italy at the quarter-final hurdle. Returning after such a long hiatus, the nation will definitely not lack any enthusiasm for the big show. The only problem is that they are in the ‘group of death’.  No matter how much self-belief they have, getting past such redoubtable opposition as Italy and France will require considerable luck.  If Christian Chivu and Adrian Mutu, the two standout players, can come into the tournament on song, then Romania may be very awkward customers for Group C hopefuls.

How Romania qualified

Romania scored an impressive twenty-six goals during qualifying, considerably more than any other team in the group.  They finished top of the group, three points ahead of the Netherlands.

How Romania play

Piturca often opts for a 5-3-2 formation. Dinamo Bucharest man Bogdan Lobont takes his place in goal while Inter’s Chivu, the captain, is the defence’s most prominent figure.  In midfield, Nicolae Dica is Piturca’s most reliable performer, and Mutu and Ciprian Marica are the coach’s two preferred strikers. Against their illustrious Group C opponents, Romania will probably play a cagey brand of football.  Romania certainly have the ability in attack to take the game to the likes of Italy, but their greatest strength during the qualifiers was a stubborn defence.  Surely, the Netherlands, who failed to score against them in two qualifying games, will concur.

About the coach

Low-key and intelligent, Piturca has finally awakened Romanian football from its slumber.  The former Steaua Bucharest striker is big on organization, and Romania’s disciplined performances during the qualifiers bear testament to his order.

Key players

Christian Chivu- He can play either as a central defender or as a left-back.  Chivu’s versatility and leadership will be instrumental to Romania’s progress. The captain of the team, he is the key organizer of the defence.   Ciprian Marica- He scored five goals for Romania during qualification.  Marica’s partnership with Chivu has paid handsome dividends.

Star player

Adrian Mutu- The 29-year-old forward is his country’s undisputed star player. His six-goal tally during qualifiers speaks for itself.  Mutu’s pace, exceptional ball control, and versatility (he can also slot in an attacking midfield role) could see him be one of the stars of the tournament.

Verdict

Had Romania had a slightly easier group, then a quarter-final berth would be well within their grasp.  They certainly have the quality to upset the order of Group C, but it is difficult to see them get more than three points. A first-round exit.

Article by Hasan Saiyid

Romania Euro 2008 News

• Former Premier league player denies being Romanian spy (New Kerala)
  London, June 30: Former Romanian football player Gheorghe Popescu, who had played for various clubs around the world, has denied allegations that he was an informer of the feared Communist secret police in Romania in the 1980s.
• Gheorghe Popescu denies being Romanian spy (Daily Telegraph)
  Former Tottenham Hotspur football star Gheorghe Popescu has denied a newspaper report that he was an informer of the feared Communist secret police in Romania in the 1980s.
• Seenews: news report of 01.07.2009 (Girodivite)
  Updated news from Balkans powered by www.seenews.com Thursday 2 July 2009, by Emanuele G. - 0 letture
• Biggest US soccer victory since 1950 hailed a miracle (IANS via Yahoo! India News)
  Bloemfontein, South Africa, June 25 (DPA) After shocking Spain 2-0 in the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup Wednesday night in Bloemfontein, the US national team were celebrating what many were calling their biggest victory since the 1950 World Cup when they beat England 1-0.
• Confederations Cup Capsules: Rain on Spain: U.S. reaches 1st FIFA tourney final (The Brownsville Herald)
  BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa - Talk about a full reversal of fortunes. On the verge of elimination from the Confederations Cup a few days ago, the United States finds itself in the final of the World Cup test event thanks to a stunning 2-0 victory over top-ranked Spain.
• EXTRA: Biggest US victory since 1950 hailed a 'miracle' (EARTHtimes.org)
  Bloemfontein, South Africa - After shocking Spain 2-0 in the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup Wednesday night in Bloemfontein, the US national team were celebrating what many were calling their biggest victory since the 1950 World Cup when they ...
• Spain football team vow to stretch world record (AFP via Yahoo! News)
  Spain warned on Sunday there are plenty more victories left in them after setting a new world record by beating South Africa 2-0 for their 15th consecutive win.