European Football Championship 2008: Romania seize the moment

A patient performance from Euro 2008 hopefuls Romania was ultimately rewarded with a comfortable 3-0 friendly victory against under-strength, fellow-finalists Russia in Bucharest.

The Russians dominated the first half, enjoying 75 per cent of possession during one ruthless, five-minute spell. But despite winning more free-kicks and more corners than their hosts, Guus Hiddink’s side – made up entirely of home-based players – just could not find a breakthrough.

Having been pegged back by the visitors in that opening spell, Romania then forced their way into the game, taking the lead through Ciprian Marica just before half-time, and they hammered home their advantage with further goals, from substitutes Daniel Niculae and Marius Niculae, after the break.

DOMINATION SETS UP WIN

Vladimir Bystrov and Yuri Zhirkov threatened down the flanks for Russia early on, but Romania then began to take control, enjoying the lions’ share of possession from the 35-minute mark to just after the hour – during which period they scored twice and wrapped up the game.

Romania’s Razvan Cocis – who plays his club football for Russian side FK Lokomotiv – produced an all-action display that the visitors simply could not cope with. The midfield player covered more ground than any other Romanian – racking up more than 11.5km before he was replaced on 85 minutes – and it was his assist which led to the game’s opener. The 25-year-old nudged the ball into the path of Marica, who despite the attention of three Russian defenders, managed to angle an 84km/h strike past Igor Akinfeev from 20.7m out.

ADAMOV’S DEBUT DELIGHT

Fleet-footed Russian striker Roman Adamov made an impressive debut, twice breaking the 30km/h barrier in a powerful front-running performance. But once he was withdrawn, in favour of the deeper-lying Roman Pavlyuchenko, Russia were much less of a threat, and the hosts duly turned the screw, scoring their second within moments of the FK Moskva centre-forward leaving the field.

Half-time substitute Marius Niculae was instrumental in that second goal, outpacing Russia’s flat-footed Aleksandr Anyukov to cross from the left for hard-running winger Florentin Petre – the latter covered 83 per cent as much ground in his 62-minute appearance as his marker, CSKA Moskva left-back Aleksei Berezutski, did in the entire game. Petre then laid the ball off for Daniel Niculae, who drifted in from the inside-left position to rifle a venomous 105km/h strike past Akinfeev from 16.4m.

Of the outfield Russia players who lasted the full 90 minutes, only Sergei Ignashevich (9,848m) covered less ground than Anyukov (10,074m), the man who’d been found wanting for the hosts’ third goal. And Anyukov again let Marius Niculae get the better of him for the game’s – and Romania’s – third goal: with 15 minutes remaining, the right-sided FK Zenit wing-back’s poor marking in Russia’s 6m box allowed the Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC striker to head home from 4.75m. From that point on, it was the hosts’ turn to hog possession – until the final whistle put the Russians out of their misery.

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