Return to Euro for Romania with the scent of… Haji! The son of the great Giorgi, Iannishe was the one who scored the winning goal and his team escaped with the “double” from “neutral” Budapest, beating Israel 2-1 to ensure its participation in the finals of the European Championship.
In fact, this qualification was also one deja vu, after on 17 November 1993 Romania had beaten Wales away (again) to qualify for the 1994 World Cup in the USA, Giorgi Hadji scoring with his left foot. Today, on November 18, 2023, i.e. 30 years later, his son, Ianis, scored with his left foot to give the Romanians victory and qualification, this time to Euro 2024 to be held in Germany!
Together with Romania, Switzerland also qualified for the upcoming Eurowho may have been held to a 1-1 draw by Kosovo at home, but their point was enough to keep both their opponents and Israel within striking distance with one match remaining in qualifying.
The results of the 9th round:
Belarus-Andorra 1-0
(83′ Laptev)
Israel-Romania 1-2
(2′ Zahavi – 10′ Puskas, 63′ Hadji)
Switzerland-Kosovo 1-1
(47′ Vargas – 82′ Hyseini)
The last (10th) matchday (21/11):
Romania-Switzerland
Andorra-Israel
Kosovo-Belarus
The rating:
In Budapest, therefore, the game for the typically home team started with the best omens. Because just in the 2nd minute, Miguel Vitor “served” Zahavi the 1-0, with the stadium getting… fire from the many supporters of Israel. Despite this, the Romanians had the immediate answer after they found the equalizer in the 10th minute with Dragus “making it” 1-1 which was achieved by Puskas. A score that remained until the break in a balanced, but with good moments in front of the two hosts, match.
A similar picture in the second half, with Romania being quite dangerous on the counter and finally… freezing the hosts in the 63rd minute thanks to a very nice shot from Iannis Hadji from inside the area that Glazer couldn’t clear. With the game becoming a rodeo in the last half hour, the ball being up and down and great chances being missed on both sides but the scoreline not changing. A result that gave the Balkans a huge qualification, taking part in the Euros again after 2016.
In the other match of the group, Switzerland managed to get the ticket for the finals of the European Championship even with anxiety. After a barren first half that saw the hosts have 11 finals to the visitors’ one, Switzerland took the lead in the 47th minute with Vargas making it 1-0. And the supremacy of Yakin’s team continued, as did the chatter, with the result that Hyseini equalized at 1-1 in the 82nd minute and stressed the home team. Despite this, Switzerland managed to protect the… golden tie and leave for the Euros in Germany amid wild celebrations.
Source: Sport Fm
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