Euro 2024: Romania stuns Ukraine 3-0 in its opening group stage match

Romania's players celebrate during their victory against Ukraine on June 17. (Antonio Calanni / Associated Press)

Ukraine suffered a disastrous start to its Euro 2024 campaign, losing 3-0 to Romania in its opening match in Group E on Monday.

Captain Nicolae Stanciu gave Romania the lead with a superb strike in the 29th minute, before second-half goals from Răzvan Marin and Denis Drăguș settled the exhilarating tie.

It was all going to plan for Ukraine in the early stages of the match. The team ranked 24 places higher in the world rankings than Romania was dominating the ball, but things soon started to go wrong.

Stanciu’s brilliant long-range effort seemed to throw the Blue and Yellow off their game and the team never fully recovered.

Romania, suddenly boasting a formidable sense of hope, doubled its lead shortly into the second half when Marin watched his 53rd minute shot hit the back of the net.

In truth, Ukraine goalkeeper Andriy Lunin could have done better with his save, but he let the powerful shot creep under his outstretched hand.

The Tricolorii continued to frustrate Ukraine’s attacking frontline and soon scored its third.

This time, there was little Lunin could have done as the brilliant Drăguș was left free in the penalty area to tap home from close range.

There was a flood of yellow at the full-time whistle, as Romania’s bench rushed onto the pitch to celebrate in front of the team’s traveling fans.

Ukraine struggles

Ukraine is playing in a major tournament for the first time since Russia launched its full scale invasion of the country in February 2022.

Before the game, the Ukrainian Football Association (UAF) displayed a piece of the destroyed stand from Kharkiv’s Sonyachny stadium in the streets of Munich, Germany.

The UAF said the stadium, used to co-host Euro 2012, had been destroyed by Russian troops in May 2022. The stand will go on a tour of Germany, following the Ukrainian team throughout its group stage matches.

Ukraine’s players looked sheepish as they trudged of the pitch at full-time, but will have the chance to kick-start their Euro 2024 campaign against Slovakia on Friday.