CYPRUS SHOW RESOLVE, BUT FALL IN ROMANIA

Cyprus drop their 2024-2025 UEFA Nations League finale 4-1 away to Romania in Bucharest. Romania dominated the first half, but Cyprus showed some impressive fight to begin the second half, and came painfully close to levelling the match. Instead, a sending off allowing Romania to regain control and finish Cyprus off. Cyprus have now lost to Romania 11 times, and have only beaten them once in now 15 meetings. As for this campaign, Cyprus finish third in Group C2, allowing them to avoid relegation to League D the next time this competition is staged. We can’t, however, provide the final group standings, as a controversial match between Romania and Kosovo on Friday is still being adjudicated by UEFA.

Cyprus visited Romania at the Arena Nationala in Bucharest, and they couldn’t have asked for a worse start. In just the second minute, a simple through ball from Valentin Mihaila connected with Daniel Birligea, who beat Dimitris Demetriou with a well-placed finish to give Romania a near immediate lead.

Romania stayed on the gas, and Ianis Hagi put one through Andreas Karo’s legs, but just wide of the net. Cyprus tried to take advantage of a turnover, and eventually the ball found Pieros Sotiriou who hit it first time, but Florin Nita was able to knock it down and make the save. At the other end, on a corner, Andrei Ratiu fired one off from a bad angle, but Demetriou was strong on his post to deny him. Hagi after a few misses, saw his aim improve but Demetriou made the save.

Not long after, Birligea bid for his second, Demetriou turned him aside, but with no help from the Cypriot defense, the Romanian Captain, Razvan Marin pounced on the rebound and tucked it past Demetriou to double the hosts advantage, 2-0 Romania at halftime.

A bad turnover gave Cyprus an early opportunity in the second half, Sotiriou alertly spotted Loizos Loizou cutting to the net, and Loizou got a shot off, but Nicusor Bancu blocked it before Nita had to do anything.

Cyprus did finally get on the board not long after. Marinos Tzionis played in a cross that was knocked down by Radu Dragusin, but right to Ioannis Pittas who came in for the second half, and Pittas slotted it past Nita, cutting the deficit to 2-1 in the 52nd minute.

Pittas suddenly found himself on a breakaway from midfield completely unimpeded, with only Nita to beat, and Nita at the critical moment sprawled out to rob him of what seemed like a sure equalizer. Nita injured himself in the process, and had to be replaced in goal by Stefan Tarnovanu. Putting severe damage into Cyprus’s comeback attempt was Kostas Laifis taking two yellows separated by just three minutes, the second yellow of course getting him sent off. Ironically, Laifis was just returning from suspension. On the ensuing free kick, Mihaila struck it well, but Demetriou tipped it over the bar.

The Romanian captain dealt the fatal blow, a corner came to Marin, who volleyed it from outside the box, somehow eluding a maze of both white and yellow shirts, and past Demetriou, restoring the two goal advantage for Romania, 3-1 over the now 10-man Cyprus, his second of the match.

Romania put salt into the open wound soon after, Hagi played in a cross that needed a touch, and Florinel Coman provided it, deflecting it past Demetriou, 4-1, which eventually was the final score.

ROMANIA(Mircea Lucescu): 1. Florin Nita(GK)(’67 16. Stefan Tarnovanu)(GK), 2. Andrei Ratiu, 3. Radu Dragusin(’67 15. Andrei Burca), 5. Alexandru Pascanu, 11. Nicusor Bancu, 18. Razvan Marin(Captain), 6. Marius Marin(’67 17. Florinel Coman), 21. Darius Olaru(’66 8. Adrian Sut), 10. Ianis Hagi, 13. Valentin Mihaila, 9. Daniel Birligea

CYPRUS(Sofronis Avgousti): 13. Dimitris Demetriou(GK), 8. Anderson Correia, 16. Stelios Andreou, 19. Kostas Laifis, 2. Andreas Karo(’46 7. Minas Antoniou), 11. Andronikos Kakoullis(’46 9. Ioannis Pittas), 18. Kostakis Artymatas(Captain), 6. Danilo Spoljaric(’46 5. Charalambos Charalambous), 17. Loizos Loizou, 21. Marinos Tzionis(’74 23. Andreas Makris), 10. Pieros Sotiriou(’79 3. Nikolas Panayiotou)

Andrew Mantzas

Twitter: @MantzasNC