UEFA U21 EURO: Romania paint town yellow as England are dismissed by super-sub Coman
KEIR RADNEDGE in CESENA: Romania strode triumphantly towards the semi-finals of the UEFA U21 EURO after overcoming England 4-2 in a thrilling Group C clash which saw all six goals explode in the last 18 minutes.
Florinel Coman, a 64th-minute substitute, unlocked a match of end-to-end excitement. First he was fouled for the penalty with which George Puscas opened the score in the 76th minute then he struck the final two, killing Romanian goals after England twice snapped back to level at 1-1 and 2-2.
Radu and Puscas . . . heroic brothers in arms
Goalkeeper-captain Ionut Radu was the another Romanian hero with several fine saves, notably from Mason Mount and Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Even when he was beaten in the frantic finale fortune came to his rescue with the crossbar denying Tammy Abraham.
At the other end England keeper Dean Henderson was to blame for allowing Coman’s shot to slip through his hands for Romania’s third goal.
The Manchester United keeper was not the only member of the England rearguard left with regrets. Jonjoe Kenny, in conceding a penalty, and Fikayo Tomori, who gifted a goal to Iasi Hagi, were similarly at fault as England headed for a first-round exit even with one more game to play, against Croatia.
At least UEFA’s organisers would thus be spared the need to organise an Olympic slot play-off.
England manager Aidy Boothroyd made five changes from the team beaten equally dramatically in their previous game by France, surprisingly omitting Manchester City’s Phil Foden; opposite number Mirel Radoi kept faith with the starting line-up who had beaten Croatia.
The pace of Romania’s attack could have brought them three goals in the opening minutes but Henderson foiled Hagi and Dennis Man while Andrei Ivan shot wide when it appeared easier to score.
Centre-forward Puskas was a perpetual danger with his pace and control but gradually England sealed their defensive gaps, ground out possession in midfield and were unlucky not to take the lead just before the internal when Radu denied Mount.
The combined effects of a long punishing season, the pressure of two intense games in high temperatures within four days and the arrival of a string of substitutes all contributed to the second-half excitement.
Foden finally appeared as a replacement for injured substitute Ryan Sessegnon and proved his class by twice going close with powerful drives.
Coman, however, won the battle of the substitutes.
The FCSB forward had been on the pitch only 12 minutes when he was floored by Kenny for the penalty which Puscas converted for the opening goal. Demarai Gray equalised almost immediately with a curling drive after cutting in from the left but Tomoro’s error then gifted Hagi Romania’s second goal.
England equalised immediately from the kick-off through Abraham but, as England’s concentration wilted, so Coman struck twice to the ecstatic delight of the noisy, yellow-shirted Romanian fans who made up the majority of the 8,440 crowd.
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