The Romanian national football team played its first official match over a century ago. 102 years have passed since then, up to the recent euphoria experienced by many Romanians at EURO 2024. During all this time, Romania has qualified for seven World Cups, but has never managed to reach beyond the quarterfinals. At the European Championship, the national team qualified for the first time in 1984. Since then, we have qualified five more times, with the most recent qualification this year.
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The first match played by the Romanian national team, in Belgrade, against the Yugoslavia team.
In 1930, Romania participated in the first World Cup in Uruguay, defeating Peru 3-1 and losing 0-4 to Uruguay.
In 1934, Romania qualified for the tournament in Italy, where they lost 1-2 against Czechoslovakia.
În 1938, România a participat la turneul din Franța. În optimi, a întâlnit Cuba. Primul meci s-a terminat 3-3. Meciul s-a rejucat, iar Cuba a câștigat cu 2-1.
In 1970, at the World Cup in Mexico, Romania was in Group 3 with England, Brazil, and Czechoslovakia. They lost to England (1-0), defeated Czechoslovakia (2-1), and were eliminated after a 2-3 loss to Brazil.
In the qualifiers, there were 32 teams, divided into four groups. The knockout matches were played in a home-and-away format. Romania qualified in a group with Czechoslovakia and Wales. In the quarterfinals, Romania was eliminated by Hungary. The matches ended 1-1 at home and 2-2 away, but the Hungarians won 2-1 in the decisive match in Belgrade.
In 1984, under the leadership of Mircea Lucescu, Romania qualified for the European Championship for the first time. They drew 1-1 with Spain and lost 2-1 to West Germany. In the final match of the group stage, Romania lost to Portugal.
Romania returned to a final tournament after 20 years with the Golden Generation. In a tough group, they defeated the USSR and drew with Argentina, qualifying for the second round of a World Cup for the first time. In the round of 16, they were eliminated by Ireland in a penalty shootout.
In 1994, Romania defeated Colombia 3-1. They lost 4-1 to Switzerland. In the decisive match, Romania won 1-0 against the USA, with a goal from Dan Petrescu, securing their place in the round of 16.
In the round of 16, Romania defeated Argentina 3-2. In the quarterfinals, Romania lost to Sweden in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw.
Romania lost all the group matches: 0-1 against France and Bulgaria, and 1-2 against Spain, with Romania's only goal being scored by Florin Răducioiu.
The last final tournament of the Golden Generation was EURO 2000. After a 1-1 draw with Germany, a 0-1 loss to Portugal, and a 3-2 win over England, Romania qualified thanks to the goals from Viorel Moldovan, Cristian Chivu, Dorinel Munteanu, and Ionel Ganea.
România s-a calificat la EURO 2008, în Austria și Elveția, terminând pe primul loc în grupa G a preliminariilor, alături de Țările de Jos, Bulgaria, Slovenia și Albania.
Romania qualified for EURO 2016, finishing second in Group F of the qualifiers, unbeaten, with a final 3-0 victory against the Faroe Islands.
Romania qualified for EURO 2024, finishing first in the qualifying group. In the final tournament, Romania defeated Ukraine 3-0, lost 0-2 to Belgium, and drew 1-1 with Slovakia, advancing to the round of 16, where they were eliminated by the Netherlands with a 3-0 defeat.
Matches played → 2
Matches played → 1
Matches played → 2
Matches played → 3
Matches played → 4
Matches played → 5
Matches played → 4
Matches played → 3
Matches played → 3
Matches played → 4
Matches played → 3
Matches played → 3
Matches played → 4
The period between 1990 and 2000 remains the best era for Romanian football. During this decade, Romania qualified for three World Cups and two European Championships, showcasing an exceptional level of performance. The Romanians scored over 20 goals in this period, with a memorable moment at the 1994 World Cup, when the national team reached its peak performance, capturing the attention and respect of the entire football world.
Coach: Constantin Rădulescu
Coach: Josef Uridil
Coach: Alexandru Săvulescu
Coach: Angelo Niculescu
Coach: Mircea Lucescu
Coach: Emeric Ienei
Coach: Anghel Iordănescu
Coach: Anghel Iordănescu
Coach: Anghel Iordănescu
Victor Pițurcă qualified the team but was dismissed before the final tournament, where Emeric Ienei took over as head coach.
Coach: Victor Pițurcă
Coach: Anghel Iordănescu
Coach: Edward Iordănescu
The pressure to match the glorious achievements of the past has always been present, becoming both a burden and an ambitious goal for each new national team. Qualifications for international tournaments, victories, and goals scored are constantly compared to the remarkable accomplishments of the Golden Generation, creating enormous expectations from both fans and critics alike. In this context, the young generation of players strives to honor the legacy left behind and bring Romanian football back to the forefront of international competitions.
Use the charts below to compare the championships
Attempted Passes 109 → Completed Passes 94
Attempted Crosses 109 → Successful Crosses 94
Attempted Passes 138 → Completed Passes 116
Attempted Crosses 1 → Successful Crosses 0
Attempted Passes 142 → Completed Passes 84
Attempted Crosses 0 → Successful Crosses 0
Attempted Passes 79 → Completed Passes 68
Attempted Crosses 3 → Successful Crosses 0
Attempted Passes 109 → Completed Passes 88
Attempted Crosses 5 → Successful Crosses 0
Attempted Passes 110 → Completed Passes 84
Attempted Crosses 5 → Successful Crosses 2
Attempted Passes 102 → Completed Passes 83
Attempted Crosses 1 → Successful Crosses 1
Attempted Passes 55 → Completed Passes 42
Attempted Crosses 1 → Successful Crosses 1
Attempted Passes 102 → Completed Passes 80
Attempted Crosses 6 → Successful Crosses 0
Attempted Passes 73 → Completed Passes 54
Attempted Crosses 9 → Successful Crosses 1
Attempted Passes 63 → Completed Passes 42
Attempted Crosses 7 → Successful Crosses 0
Attempted Passes 25 → Completed Passes 20
Attempted Crosses 1 → Successful Crosses 0
Attempted Passes 28 → Completed Passes 23
Attempted Crosses 1 → Successful Crosses 1
Attempted Passes 25 → Completed Passes 22
Attempted Crosses 0 → Successful Crosses 0
Attempted Passes 13 → Completed Passes 5
Attempted Crosses 0 → Successful Crosses 0
Attempted Passes 3 → Completed Passes 3
Attempted Crosses0 → Successful Crosses 0
Attempted Passes 10 → Completed Passes 7
Attempted Crosses 1 → Successful Crosses 0
Attempted Passes 2 → Completed Passes 2
Attempted Crosses 0 → Successful Crosses 0
Attempted Passes 16 → Completed Passes 13
Attempted Crosses0 → Successful Crosses 0
Attempted Passes 5 → Completed Passes 1
Attempted Crosses 0 → Successful Crosses 0
Attempted Passes 5 → Completed Passes 2
Attempted Crosses 0 → Successful Crosses 0
Material created by: Edit Gyenge
Editor: Andrei Luca Popescu
Data sources: uefa.com, fifa.com, wikipedia.org
Photo sources: wikipedia.org, uefa.com, gsp.ro, transfermarkt.ro
July 17, 2024
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