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Romania accomplished what it came for
Posted: Wednesday July 01, 1998 03:47 PM
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Viorel Moldovan (left) and the rest of the Romanian team head home after dying all their heads (AP) |
BORDEAUX, France (AP) --
In the end, Romania got
what its coach said he wanted: to play in the second round. Then the team
packed up and went home. "I always said that our goal was to clinch our
group and play in the second round. Perhaps the [Romanian Football
Federation] officials had other designs but my purpose was to bring the
team in the second round, which I succeeded," coach Anghel Iordanescu said.
Romania, which made the quarterfinals in 1994 where it was
eliminated by Sweden after a penalty shootout, clinched Group G with a
near-perfect record: victories over Colombia 1-0
and England
2-1 and a 1-1 tie with Tunisia.
But it lost to debutant Croatia 1-0 on
Tuesday, which sent the other Balkan country to play Germany in the
quarterfinals in Lyon on July 4. Iordaescu's five-year stint as
Romanian coach ended with the loss. He has signed a two-year, $900,000
contract to coach Greece's national team, beginning on July 15. For
Romania the result was disappointing, especially after its victory over
England. But the Romanians played a slow and uninspiring game and
their offense lacked the final punch. Gheorghe Hagi, the 33-year-old
playmaker who shone at the '94 World Cup in the United
States, slowed down too much to continue to be the key man in the
attack. He failed to score any goals in France and announced he would
retire from the national team. The Romanians were hampered by the
absence of several standout players such as defenders Daniel Prodan of
Atletico Madrid and Tibor Selymes of Anderlecht, both unfit to play due to
old injuries. Iordanescu has long been at loggerheads with Romania's
soccer chiefs, accusing them of endangering the country's World Cup chances
by denying him funds, facilities and competitive warmup games. The
only consolation for the Romanians is the emergence of several young
players who have been lured away from financially strapped Romanian teams
by clubs in the West. Among them is Valencia's Adrian Ilie, a
24-year-old striker who has sprung from nowhere in the past year to become
a central figure in the Romanian setup. Ilie is currently courted by Real
Madrid, which is reportedly ready to swap Croatian Davor Suker for him.
Among other newcomers who played well in the games against Colombia and
England were forward Viorel Moldovan of Coventry City, Espanyol's
midfielder Constantin Galca and Salamanca's Gabriel Popescu, 24, an
excellent playmaker who is being groomed to take over Hagi's role.
"There are several young players we can rely on. Maybe next time they'll
be more successful," said Iordanescu.
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