Dennis Man's masterclass guides Romania to dominating 3-0 win over Ukraine: Euro 2024

Ukraine were outclassed in this Group E UEFA Euro 2024 opener.

Heading into the match, Ukraine were slight favourites against tournament underdog Romania. In the opening minutes, Ukraine started the game stronger of the two sides, dominating possession and applying early pressure, asking tough questions to the robust Romanian defence.

Although, in the 29th minute, against the run of play, Romania found the breakthrough when Nicolae Stanciu capitalised on a mistake from goalkeeper Andriy Lunin. The Romanian captain’s fierce first-time finish rifled the ball into the roof of the net, making it 1-0 to the Tricolorii and sending their fans into ecstasy.

The goal tilted the tide in favour of Edward Iordanescu’s side as they grew in confidence towards the end of the half. They almost scored a second just 10 minutes later, but the woodwork came to Ukraine’s rescue. Ukraine failed to find a strong footing after falling behind, ending the half in a disappointing fashion.

Into the second half, Ukraine’s first-half misery turned into a living nightmare when Romania, through Răzvan Marin and Denis Drăguș, scored two quick-fire goals in the space of five minutes, putting them 3-0 up with more than 30 minutes remaining. Winger Dennis Man delivered an exceptional performance for Romania, orchestrating an incredible attacking display with his overall gameplay and contribution of two assists.

Also read: Top five youngest players to feature in UEFA Euro history

Ukraine tried hard to navigate their way back into the game through attacking changes such as winger Andriy Yarmolenko and striker Roman Yaremchuk, but all in vain, as it was too late to spark such a monumental comeback.

With a 3-0 opening-game win, Romania kicked off Group E action with a commanding performance, sending them to the top of the table. On the other hand, Ukraine failed to make their possession count going forward, falling victim to Romania’s ruthlessness in front of the goal.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Telegram.