Dignity reigns on stormy night as Romania and Slovakia battle into last 16
So much for the βDisgrace of GijΓ³nβ part two. Romania and Slovakia may have got the result they knew beforehand would guarantee both countries escaped from Group E, but there was no scintilla of a stitchβup. Unlike the notorious match between Germany and Austria in 1982, this game was not played at walking pace but full throttle, with chances galore, even in the middle of an apocalyptic thunderstorm.
Ondrej Dudaβs powerful header was cancelled out by Razvan Marinβs penalty and that meant Romania qualified top of the group, while ΒSlovakia went through too as one of the best third-placed sides. With a crowd threeβquarters Romanian it felt like a home fixture at times, and the atmosphere was remarkable with noise and pyrotechnics throughout, but these were two evenly matched teams and a draw was a fair result. Honest.
Continue reading...Β© Photograph: Themba Hadebe/AP
Β© Photograph: Themba Hadebe/AP