Euro 2024: Romania triumphs over Ukraine with dominant 3-0 victory in Group E opener; WATCH key moments

Romania delivered a commanding performance in their opening match of Group E in the Euro 2024, defeating Ukraine 3-0 at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Monday.

Sunita Iyer

First Published Jun 17, 2024, 9:20 PM IST | Last Updated Jun 17, 2024, 9:20 PM IST

Romania delivered a commanding performance in their opening match of Group E in the Euro 2024, defeating Ukraine 3-0 at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Monday. Goals from Nicolae Stanciu, Razvan Marin, and Denis Draguş secured a well-deserved victory for the Romanian side.

Ukraine began the match with promise, as Mykhailo Mudryk and Artem Dovbyk posed early threats. Despite controlling possession for the first thirty minutes, Ukraine failed to create significant scoring opportunities, a deficiency that would soon cost them.

The breakthrough came in the 30th minute when Nicolae Stanciu scored what might be considered the goal of the tournament thus far. His stunning strike gave Romania a crucial lead, shifting the momentum firmly in their favor.

Romania nearly doubled their advantage shortly after, as Dennis Man's deflected shot narrowly missed the far post. From the ensuing corner, Florinel Coman's clever delivery almost resulted in another goal, with the ball glancing off the crossbar.

As the second half commenced, Romania continued to threaten in the final third. Coman came close once again, his powerful shot whizzing just wide of the goal. Their persistence paid off in the 53rd minute when Razvan Marin's first-time effort slipped under Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin and into the bottom corner, making it 2-0.

The match turned into a rout just five minutes later, with Denis Draguş tapping in from close range to extend Romania's lead to three. Despite Ukraine's attempts to respond, including a missed close-range effort from Mudryk, they were unable to find the back of the net.

Romania's impressive display and clinical finishing set a high standard in Group E, signaling their intent in the tournament. As for Ukraine, they will need to regroup and find solutions to their offensive struggles before their next match.

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