ROMANIA’S boss demanded an apology from “shameful” fans that had claimed their final group game would be a “fix” – after the result was the one everyone expected.
All four teams in Group E, which also included Belgium, Slovakia and Ukraine, were on three points going into yesterday’s final games.
And supporters joked about a Euro 2024 “fix” as a draw between Romania and Slovakia would have ensured both advanced to the knockouts.
Romania and Slovakia ended in a 1-1 draw to ensure that the former finished in top spot ahead of Belgium.
Meanwhile, the former also advanced and set-up a last-16 showdown with England on Sunday.
However, despite the result being one many had predicted, both teams did actually produce a high-tempo encounter and went for the victory.
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And after watching his team secure a clash with Netherlands, Romania boss Edward Iordanescu, 46, revealed how insulted he was by the pre-game draw chatter.
He blasted: “There is some people that should apologise to us.
“They should have waited to see and then judge us. So this was shameful.
“They throw this garbage to us, not just the team but to our fans.
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“We showed we have character.”
Slovakia took the lead in the 24th minute through Ondrej Duda’s header.
But Razvan Marin equalised in the 37th minute with a controversial penalty decision that left some viewers stunned.
Slovakia coach Francesco Calzona, 55, also hit back, saying: “Nobody could say my team didn’t play to win for the 90 minutes.”
Belgium ended up in second after they were held to a goalless draw by Ukraine, who were eliminated.
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Romania topped the group on the tiebreaker of more goals scored than Belgium.
And the pair both had a better goal difference than third-place Slovakia.
Belgium will face France on Monday for a place in the quarters.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
