NICOLAE STANCIU belted home an early goal of the tournament contender to inspire Romania to a 3-0 win over Ukraine this afternoon.
The midfielder, who plays his club football for Damac FC in Saudi Arabia, lined up for Edward Iordanescu’s side in Munich.
Ukraine pushed for a goal early on in the Group E clash.
But it was Romania skipper Stanciu who opened the scoring on 29 minutes with a brilliant strike.
A poor clearance by Ukraine’s Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin fed the ball to Dennis Man.
The winger immediately teed up Stanciu, who belted a stunning strike beyond Lunin and into the top corner.
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Plenty of fans were left in awe of Stanciu’s effort.
One wrote on social media: “Goal of the tournament!”
While a second gushed: “No words. Just a work of art from Stanciu.”
A third swooned: “Stanciu is a big baller.”
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And another added: “Best goal of the tournament so far… Ridiculously good technique from Stanciu.”
BBC pundit Danny Murphy went on to label it a “beauty” during his half-time analysis.
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The stunner was followed shortly after by a second goal that left fans jaws on the floor.
Razvan Marin took full advantage of more Ukrainian dithering at the back to bury a loose shot from 25 yards in the 53rd minute.
While striker Denis Dragus then made it 3-0 with 33 minutes still to play when he got clear of his marker to poke home from close range.
In the 77th minute, Shakhtar Donetsk’s rising star Georgiy Sudakov finally forced a save from Romania keeper Florin Nita with a powerful shot from 25 yards.
It was Ukraine’s first shot on target despite dominating possession.
Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk blasted the chance for a consolation goal high over the bar in the 84th minute.
Premier League stars Mudryk and Oleksandr Zinchenko of Arsenal hit the deck in despair at the final whistle.
Ukraine play Slovakia in their second group match this Friday but already look doomed for an early exit.
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Romania on the other hand stayed on the pitch to celebrate with their travelling fans as they earned a first European Championship win in 24 years.
In fact, the Tricolours’s last Euros success came over England back in Euro 2000 – a shock 3-2 win thanks to an 89th minute penalty.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
