Lively start Slovakia and Romania advance to the round of 16 in pouring rain

Jan Arnet

26.6.2024

Heavy rain fell during the match.
IMAGO/Offside Sports Photography

There was talk of possible collusion before the European Championship match between Slovakia and Romania. There was no sign of it on the pitch. Nevertheless, there was a draw.

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Romania and Slovakia are through to the round of 16.
They drew 1-1 in the last group game.
Ondrej Duda headed the Slovenians into the lead in the 24th minute, Razvan Marin equalized in the 37th minute with a foul penalty.

The "disgrace of Frankfurt" had been expected, as both teams were aware that a point would be enough to progress. But unlike the "non-aggression pact of Gijon", when the national teams of the Federal Republic of Germany and Austria stopped attacking after Germany went 1-0 up early on in the 1982 World Cup, a lively game developed in Frankfurt right from the start.

Slovakia and Romania progressed to the last 16 of the European Football Championship with a 1-1 (1-1) draw on the final preliminary round matchday in Group E. Both teams achieved exactly the result they needed to progress in Frankfurt, where the oppressive heat was followed by a heavy thunderstorm.

Former Bundesliga professional Ondrej Duda put Slovakia ahead in the 24th minute. Razvan Marin (37) equalized for the Romanians with a penalty kick after a controversial decision by the video assistant. Slovakia and Romania thus advanced to the knockout phase for the second time in the history of the European Championship.

Round of 16 opponents not yet determined

Thanks to the 0-0 draw in the parallel match between Belgium and Ukraine, Slovakia finished third in the group and will therefore face Spain or England in the round of 16. Romania's opponents as group winners will also not be known until after the matches in Group F this evening. Slovenia or the Netherlands are possible opponents.

The omens before the match were clear: a draw was enough for both teams to advance to the round of 16. Before the clash between the two outsiders, there was already speculation about a repeat of the disgrace of Gijón at the 1982 World Cup, when Austria and Germany agreed on a non-aggression pact in order to progress.

Neither team wanted to know anything about this curious constellation beforehand. "We are professionals. We know that a draw could help us progress. But that doesn't mean anything," said Slovakia coach Francesco Calzona. And Romania coach Edward Iordanescu explained: "We will play to progress and want to finish this group in first place. That gives us a certain advantage in terms of rest days and opponents."

Courageous teams instead of a Gijón repeat

Both teams backed up their words with action and played boldly forward in the early stages. Spurred on by the many vociferous Romanian fans, Andrei Ratiu had the first chance. However, the shot by the man with the blue hair was saved by Martin Dubravka in the Slovakia goal. Ianis Hagi put the rebound over the goal. The son of former football star Gheorghe Hagi played from the start for the first time at this European Championship.

The Slovaks then also became dangerous in attack. A treacherous free kick from Lukas Haraslin whizzed through the Romanian penalty area, but also missed the goal. A short time later, Duda was on hand with his head.

Controversial penalty leads to equalizer

After conceding the goal, the Romanians initially looked a little shocked. In the 34th minute, Slovakian defender David Hancko pulled Hagi off his feet on the edge of the penalty area. German referee Daniel Siebert initially awarded a free kick. After a review by the video assistant, the 40-year-old then pointed to the penalty spot - a controversial decision. "It's a discretionary decision," said Siebert's colleague Patrick Ittrich on MagentaTV. Marin converted the penalty safely.

Both teams remained courageous at the start of the second half. As a thunderstorm swept across the stadium, both sides again had chances to score. Romania's goalscorer Marin failed to beat Dubravka from distance, while Denis Dragus narrowly missed a few moments later. For Slovakia, David Strelec and Haraslin came close to making it 2:1.