Romania seeks God's help for the Oranje fall
Thirty years after their greatest success, the Romanian national team aims to write history once again - with big names who have remained the same. To upset the Dutch in the EURO 2020 round of 16, even help from above is being sought during a church service in Würzburg.
Before the biggest game in the younger national history, Eduard Iordanescu once again sought divine support. At a Romanian Orthodox community church service in Würzburg on Sunday, the Romanian national team's coach tanked hope, in the pursuit of an upset against the Netherlands on Tuesday (6:00 PM/ARD, MagentaTV and live on ntv.de), that a little help from above wouldn't hurt. Thirty years after the greatest success, an entire country is dreaming of a coup once again.
"The Romanians were not united in such a state of joy for a long time," Iordanescu stated in a message on the association's website. It has been thirty years since the "Golden Generation" led by trainer Anghel Iordanescu and "Carpathian Maradona" Gheorghe Hagi, with their quarterfinal finish at the 1994 World Cup in the United States, thrilled the people. Few teams have managed to fill the footsteps left by those players since then. But it seems that has changed - in part because the names have remained the same.
Iordanescu and Hagi are still prominent figures in Romanian football: Eduard Iordanescu's son has been in charge for two and a half years, and Hagi's son Ianis has been a national player since 2018. "I'm proud to carry this name," the 25-year-old offensive player recently stated: "It's a pressure I was born with, so I've gotten used to it."
Romanian Team has "no limits"
Ianis Hagi, who still doesn't have the defining role of his father, is part of a new generation of Romanian football. A team that five years ago failed in the U21 EURO semi-finals against Germany, won their qualifying group without a loss on the way to this EURO - and now has an entire country in a frenzy. Not least their own coach.
He himself sees "no limits" in his team, Iordanescu emphasized after the 3:0 win against Ukraine: "This generation has soul and a big heart. There's never been anything like it." Iordanescu also looks "happily into the past and at the fantastic moments" from 1994, he emphasized, "but now it's a new generation. It's a new time reckoning for the Romanian national team. We believe in it."
With the defensive stability and great discipline propagated by Iordanescu and the example of the heroes of 1994, the "Tricolorii" now aim to upset the wavering Dutch team. Considering the past performances of both teams, it's not an unrealistic scenario. Moreover, the Romanians are full of self-confidence.
The round of 16 entry, Ianis Hagi emphasized, is "just a surprise for those who don't know us." With a win against the Netherlands, the new Romanian generation could make a name for themselves - even beyond Hagi and Iordanescu.
In preparation for their highly anticipated match against the Dutch during the European Football Championship 2024, the Romanian national team once again seeks divine intervention, drawing parallels to their successful 1994 World Cup campaign in the United States. Amidst this resurgence, Romania hopes to repeat their historic triumph, with a team that boasts familiar names like Iordanescu and Hagi, who continue to shape Romanian football.
