Romania and Slovakia both qualified for the last 16 at Euro 2024 after a tense 1-1 draw in their last Group E game on Wednesday.
Ondrej Duda put Slovakia ahead in the first half but Romania’s Razvan Marin equalised with a penalty before the interval. With all four teams in the group earning four points from their three games, Romania finished top having scored more goals than second-placed Belgium.
Slovakia went through in third place thanks to a superior goal difference to fourth-placed Ukraine. It was a memorable moment for Romania, who are into the knockout stages of the Euros for the first time in 24 years.
Romania had only qualified once for the last 16 in their five Euro appearances, but Edward Iordanescu’s tenacious side have ended that long drought They responded to Iordanescu’s pre-match challenge to make “history” with a combative display fuelled by their army of vociferous fans, who turned the stadium into a sea of yellow.
Slovakia are into the knockout stages of a major tournament for the third time. They reached the last 16 in the 2010 World Cup and made it to the same stage at Euro 2016. Knowing a draw would send both teams through, cynics had suggested they would play out a mutually beneficial stalemate.
But there was no sign of Romania settling for a point as they made a fast start. They threatened an early goal when Andrei Ratiu’s stinging strike was pushed away by Martin Dubravka, with the rebound lashed wildly over by Ianis Hagi.
