Euro Cup | Alarm in Belgium

Leipzig (Germany), June 21 (EFE).- Defeated by Slovakia in its debut (0-1), Belgium will attempt to proper the course and silence its critics with a victory over Romania, which is euphoric after its nice efficiency in opposition to Ukraine (3-0) and which they’re already evaluating to the Golden Technology led by Gheorghe Hagi within the 90s.

Cologne would be the scene of a duel with antagonistic and excessive sensations. On the one hand, pessimism reigns in Belgium, whereas on the opposite there’s an extra of optimism in Romania. However it’s the gamers of the workforce led by Domenico Tedesco who’ve rather more strain.

Labeled within the final decade as one of many nice favorites to win any World Cup or Euro Cup, the decline of their greatest era silenced all these voices that when referred to as for fulfillment earlier than the beginning of the match.

With out that anxiousness to win one thing, Belgium, exterior the listing of betting favorites, hoped to finish a very good European Championship away from the highlight and with the peace of thoughts that enables not having excessive expectations. Nonetheless, in his first try he wasted his standing as a doable hidden favourite and failed with an surprising defeat in opposition to Slovakia. And, as soon as once more, the highlight is on Tedesco’s workforce.

And the fact is that the Italian coach has not been in a position to face the match with out the mandatory shocks in order that his focus is a haven of peace. Earlier than the ball began rolling, the absence of Thibaut Courtois marked the present tempo of Belgium. And, after the loss in opposition to Slovakia, it’s Romelu Lukaku and his lack of success who attracts criticism amongst Tedesco’s gamers, who won’t hesitate to place the Roma participant on mortgage from Inter again into the eleven.

At the least, the Italian coach recovers a few of his items after beginning the European Championship with a number of accidents. Though Thomas Meunier and Axel Witsel aren’t but prepared and are combating to fully overcome their muscle illnesses, Arthur Theate, Jan Vertonghen and Youri Tielemans have already recovered.

They nonetheless want some aggressive tempo, however Theate may change Yanick Carrasco at left again. On the very least, he’s going to problem his colleague for the place. Vertonghen and Tielemans will nonetheless have to attend.

Reverse will probably be Romania, Edward Iordanescu’s workforce, which after silencing the aspiring revelation workforce (Ukraine) with a convincing win, wants a draw to virtually guarantee its presence within the spherical of 16. It might be a milestone for a workforce that had beforehand solely received one recreation within the European Championship, 24 years earlier than and in opposition to England (2-3). In simply ninety minutes, extreme euphoria has been unleashed for some gamers who’re already in comparison with the ‘Golden Technology’ that was exhibited on the 1994 World Cup in america with figures similar to Hagi, Florin Raducioiu, Gheorge Popescu, Miodrag Belodedici and Ilian Dumitrescu.

Nonetheless, in Romania they don’t wish to be equated with genuine idols of their nation. They’ve their ft on the bottom and gamers like Andrei Burca have been fast to nip these illusions within the bud: “It’s inevitable (comparisons with the Golden Technology). However we won’t look again: we’ve got to give attention to what we’re doing now. We all know what we are able to do, however it is a totally different era: we wish to forge our personal id. “We’re the era with the most important coronary heart,” he stated.

For that reason, Romania will face the conflict in opposition to Belgium with humility and conscious that they’re going through a a lot bigger workforce. Their gamers don’t want expectations about their possibilities to be extreme and, as in opposition to Ukraine, they are going to play with the utmost respect for a rival in a state of alarm because of a state of affairs that might be important if they don’t win the match.

Iordanescu, in contrast to Belgium, does have all his males out there. He has neither accidents nor sanctions. And, with Nicolae Stanciu on the helm, presently Romania’s most talked-about participant after his look in its premiere, Romania will play with the identical males who crushed Ukraine. There is just one doubt: Valentin Mihaila, a fixture in his coach’s lineup however absent within the first match because of a well being downside, may take Florinel Coman’s place. His constant performances at Parma may tip the steadiness in his favor.