Slovakia vs Romania

Deutsche Bank Park sets the stage for a nail-biting Euro 2024 Group E finale as Slovakia and Romania go head-to-head in a high-stakes duel in Frankfurt.

Slovakia seemed well on course to reach the knockout stages of the European Championships for the second time in three appearances as an independent nation when they stunned Belgium 1-0 on the opening matchday. However, after throwing away an early lead in a 2-1 defeat to Ukraine last time out, the Falcons must beat Romania to progress from the top two spots. A draw would probably see Francesco Calzona squeeze into the round of 16 as one of the best third-placed nations. That is a more likely scenario, considering Slovakia’s last three meetings with Romania have ended level. But their flying starts could be of help, with the Slovakians breaking the deadlock in four consecutive outings, including both at Euro 2024 that have seen them score inside the first 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, the last time Romania made it out of the group stages at the Euro finals was in 2000, and they’ve since suffered group-phase eliminations in back-to-back appearances without winning a single game (D3, L3). Demolishing Romania 3-0 in their curtain-raising Group E fixture keeps them at the top of the section ahead of matchday three. Yet they need to avoid defeat to ensure knockout qualification after slumping to a 2-0 loss to Belgium in round two. Worryingly for manager Edward Ioardanescu, Romania’s three goals against the Ukrainians remain their only strikes in four matches (W1, D2, L1). A firing blank against Belgium marked the fifth time in Romania’s last nine Euros outings that they’ve failed to find the net (W1, D3, L5).