Romania coach regrets not being able to finish off France

• June 11, 2016 07:26

Anghel Iordanescu believes Romania can beat France, if his players take better advantage of their chances in the first 60 minutes of the opening match of Euro 2016 on June 10.

Romania were not highly rated when entering the match at the Stade de France, but they exhausted the Euro 2016 hosts for 90 minutes, with sharp counter-attacking play.

"We had a good match. We got into the rhythm in the first half and had a great chance to open the score, but the French goalkeeper made a great save. If Romania had scored then, they could have changed the game. After the break, we created trouble for their goal again, and unfortunately Stancu missed," coach Iordanescu said, not hiding his regret after the opening match on the evening of June 10.

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Iordanescu did not hide his regret at the two opportunities missed by his students. Photo: Reuters.

The two situations he mentioned came at the start of each half, and both went through the feet of striker Bogdan Stancu. He tapped the ball into the net from close range after a corner kick in the fourth minute but failed to beat goalkeeper Lloris. And in the 48th minute, when the French defense failed to fall into the offside trap, Stancu handled the ball somewhat carelessly with a volley that went wide.

At the time of both these missed chances, the score was not yet open. France had to wait until the 57th minute to break the tie thanks to Giroud. Although Romania equalized a few minutes later from a penalty by Evra, the Euro 2016 hosts still ended the match with a victory, thanks to Payet's superb curling effort in the 88th minute.

"It hurts to lose the match in the 88th minute. But it was a classy finish from a great striker," the Romania coach praised Payet - the star who had a great season in the West Ham shirt.

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Payet's masterpiece. Photo: AFP.

The defeat in the opening match, according to Mr. Iordanescu, made Romania face many difficulties in the next match of Group A, against Switzerland on June 14.

"Only when you enter the locker room can you see how disappointed my players are. It's very difficult to restore their physical strength because they are really tired. Not to mention, the team's mentality is also not good because of this defeat," he said.