Romania start their Group E at Euro 2024 with an impressive win over Ukraine. Check out the best facts, stats and Opta data with our Romania vs Ukraine stats page.

Romania stunned Ukraine with a 3-0 victory in Munich to secure only their second-ever win at a European Championship.

Captain Nicolae Stanciu and Razvan Marin both scored impressively from long range, before Denis Dragus added another to give Romania their biggest win at a major tournament and the perfect start to their Euro 2024 campaign in Group E.

Edward Iordănescu’s side had just 29% possession in the match, the lowest by any team to win a match on record (since 1980) at the Euros.

Ukraine had 87% possession in the first 13 minutes but didn’t create much from it. There was therefore a sense of inevitability that Romania would strike first, which they did in spectacular fashion just before the half-hour mark.

Ukraine dallied on the ball at the back as Razvan Marin pressed the defence and then goalkeeper Andrii Lunin, who could only find Dennis Man with his clearance. Man laid the ball off to Stanciu, who hit a beautiful strike across Lunin and into the far corner, kissing the underside of the crossbar on the way in.

It was a wonderful hit from Stanciu, with Opta crediting the opportunity with just 0.02 expected goals (xG), the lowest xG for a goal at the tournament so far. The 31-year-old also became the first player from the Saudi Pro League to score at a European Championship.

One of the enduring images of Romania at major tournaments was when every player turned up for their group game against Tunisia at the 1998 World Cup with bleach blonde hair. Legendary star of that side, Gheorghe Hagi, explained to FourFourTwo last year that it was due to a bet the players had made with manager Anghel Iordănescu – father of current boss Edward – who had to shave his hair as part of the bet. It had all apparently been the brainchild of then Romania right-back Dan Petrescu.

As Romania had beaten Colombia and England in their first two games in France, they triggered the terms of the bet and dyed their hair. You would have been forgiven for wondering if current day Romania right-back Andrei Ratiu had made a similar bet as he emerged with blue hair for his nation’s opening game of Euro 2024. Perhaps his teammates had played a prank on him and decided not to follow suit.

Romania were anything but blue, though; Man saw a deflected effort go just wide while Stanciu hit the bar direct from a corner as Romania threatened to grab another. They led at the break for only the second time in a Euros game, previously doing so in 2016 against Switzerland, with that game finishing 1-1.

Ukraine dangerman Artem Dovbyk was kept quiet by Tottenham centre-back Radu Dragusin and co, seeing his one effort in the first half fly well over the bar. The Girona striker was La Liga’s top scorer this season with 24 goals in 36 games but made little impact here.

Romania went 2-0 up eight minutes into the second half through another long-range effort, this time from Razvan Marin. The ball fell kindly to the Cagliari midfielder, and he struck hard and low to Lunin’s right. The Ukraine goalkeeper should really have done better but couldn’t get down in time to stop it from nestling in the bottom corner. Serhiy Rebrov’s suddenly side had a quite a hill to climb.

That hill became a mountain just moments later as a short-corner routine between Stanciu and Man saw the latter dribble into the penalty area and present Dragus with a tap-in, as Ukraine’s defence fell apart.

Man became the first Romanian to provide two assists in a game at a major tournament since Hagi against Colombia at the 1994 World Cup. Man was coincidentally replaced in the game by Hagi’s son, Ianis, shortly after.

Ukraine had moments where they could have at least made the scoreline more respectable, with Andrii Yarmolenko, Heorhii Sudakov and Mykhailo Mudryk all having presentable opportunities but failing to take them, while Roman Yaremchuk also struck the crossbar.

Romania ultimately saw the game out for a comfortable and famous win that gives them a great chance of advancing to the knockout stage of the Euros for the first time.

Romania v Ukraine stats

Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Romania vs Ukraine stats from their Euro 2024 Group E clash in Munich.

The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own post-match analysis.

Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well. 

Romania vs Ukraine: Post-Match Facts

  • Romania earned just their second win at the UEFA European Championship (D5 L10), while this was their biggest ever victory at a major international tournament (World Cup/Euros).
  • Romania’s 29% possession against Ukraine is the lowest share for a winning team on record (since 1980) in a single match at the European Championship.
  • Ukraine extended their record of most games played at the European Championship without keeping a single clean sheet (12). They’ve also failed to score in 67% of their games at the Euros (8/12), the highest rate of any nation to take part in more than one edition.
  • Eight of the 25 goals scored at Euro 2024 have been from outside the box (including Romania’s first two today). It’s the highest rate of goals from distance in a single edition of the tournament on record (32%, since 1980).
  • Dennis Man assisted two goals today, the first Romanian to provide multiple assists in a major tournament match since Gheorghe Hagi against Colombia in the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
  • Romania’s Nicolae Stanciu became the first player ever to score at the European Championship while playing for a Saudi Arabian club (Damac).
  • Excluding own goals, Romania had three different goalscorers (Stanciu, Razvan Marin, Denis Dragus) for the fourth time in a match at a major tournament, also doing so against Peru (1930 World Cup), Cuba (1938 World Cup) and England (Euro 2000).
  • Ukraine’s 71% possession figure was their highest ever recorded in a match at a major tournament (World Cup/Euros). Despite this, they managed just two shots on target in the whole match.

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