Romania U19, dramatic victory at Euro with Montenegro U19! “Tricolorii” scored the decisive goal in extensions

Chronicle by Sergiu Alexandru: emotions, drama and a blow at the end. Romania U19 begins with a victory at Euro 2025

The first minutes of the match were balanced, the pressure of a final tournament being felt by the players of both teams. There were no occasions, but only many inaccuracies.

Romania, betrayed by defenders

In the 13th minute, Montenegro, debutant at a European championship, gave the blow, from a phase that neither the players of Nenad Vukcevic were expecting to mark. At a long ball, somewhere 30 meters from the gate, the two central defenders of Romania, Darius Fălcușan and Emanuel Marincău, competed. No one managed to release, and the ball reached Kost. It found excellent on Vuk Vlahovicand the Montenegrin striker completed with a shot from 12 meters.

Attacks, possession and missed

After the goal, Romania reacted excellently. Ion Marin's students had possession and initiative, while Montenegro was satisfied only to defend and close the spaces, not being interested in the attack phase.

The “tricolors” tried the gate from a distance, but the shots were either removed by goalkeeper Ognjen Milovic or did not reach their target. The most dangerous were Kodor, Vermeșan, Târbă or Păcuraru. But until the break the table did not change.

Marincău took his revenge

After the break, all Romania was the more dangerous team. And in the 63rd minute the “tricolor” efforts were rewarded. The goal came after a free kick on the edge of the field, executed excellently by Luca Băsceanu, just entered the field. The footballer raised by the Lighthouse, who will play at Craiova University, focused in front of the gate. There, Emanuel Marincău He was on the stage and redeemed his mistake from the Montenegren's goal. The Mainz defender took his opponents and deviated excellently under the bar. No chance for the goalkeeper.

There were almost 30 minutes of play, and the players and fans were hoping for another goal. It's just that he didn't come. One by one, Băsceanu, Dănciuțiu, Cercel and Szimionaș, the last one with a bar in the 86th minute, passed the Victoria's goal. On the other side, Perovic passed by the evening's goal. His scissors, from 7 meters, did not hit the gate.

The hero on the bench

When the match was heading for 1-1, Romania hit. Coming from the bench, David Barbu became a hero. The “tricolors” took advantage of a defective position of the Montenegreni, and the ball reached David Barbuafter Băsceanu's pass. And he, free at 12 meters, scored with an excellent shot, with the side, at the long corner. Holidays in the stands and on the bench! The last minutes passed without anything notable. Romania knew how to close the game and had no emotions.

FINAL. Romania U19 – Montenegro U19 2-1

• Here live + statistics
• 2,934 spectators are present on the “Arc de Triomphe” (official figure)
• Have marked: Marincău (63), David Barbu (90)/ Vlahovic (13)

min.90: From the edge there were 5 minutes of extension!
min. 90: Goool Romania! David Barbu marks with an excellent shot, from 14 meters, placed perfectly at the long corner.

min. 87: Cull enters the box and pulls at the long corner but the ball goes by
min. 86: Bar! Szimionaș fired from 30 meters, from the first, on foot. The ball hit the sidebar.
min. 79: Last Change: Marincăru was changed with Bărăitaru
min. 77: Perovic resumes from scissors, from 10 meters. The ball goes by the gate
min. 75: Another change in “tricolors”. Gua entered the place of the bargain
min. 67: Dănciuțiu pulls from 20 meters. The goalkeeper holds without any problems

min. 63: Goool Romania! Emanuel Marincău, the “tricolor” defender equalizes with a header from 7 meters, after a free kick executed by Băsceanu. Marincău took the opponent's face and managed to defile the ball.
min. 61: Triple change in Romania. Kodor, Păcuraru and Vermeșan came out. Barbu, Băsceanu and Dănciuțiu entered
min. 58: Vermeșan recovered a ball in the corner of the land and focused in the box but the goalkeeper Milovic decisively deviated the centering
min. 55: The biggest occasion in the second half. Păcuraru pulls from 12 meters but the Montenegrin goalkeeper was on stage and retained
min. 51: Vermeșan entered the box and tried to find Păcuraru but the ball was intercepted by a Montenegrin
min. 46: Start in the second half.

min. 45: Pause
From Romanian football, the match is present names such as Mircea Lucescu, Risto Radunovic, Mihai Pintilii, Ioan Andone. Anghel Iordănescu, Răzvan Burleanu, Iasmin Latovlevici or Mihai Stoica
min. 39: Romania passed again. After one-two with Vermeșan, Târbă shot from 13 meters, but the ball was rejected in the corner.
min. 37: David Matei, the midfielder transferred by the University of Craiova from Steaua, shot from 20 meters. The ball was diverted and passed a little next to the gate.
min. 33: A new chance for Romania. Cercel focused in the center of the box, where Vermeșan was released from the mark. He resumed with his head, but directly on the Montenegrin goalkeeper

min. 28: Târbă penetrates excellent through the center and shoots from 23 meters. The midst of the midst of Celta Vigo was rejected in the porter's corner
min.23: The biggest opportunity in Romania! Marincău recovered a ball at 35 meters and passed to Vermeșan. The “tricolor” striker shot from 12 meters, but was blocked by the goalkeeper. Then the ball drained in front of the gate, and Kodor did not reach her
min. 20: Marincău, Mainz's defender, fired from 20 meters. The ball went over the gate
min. 19: After the goal collected, Romania began to have more possession, but still did not put pressure on Milovic's gate
min. 14: Immediately after the goal, the supporters started shouting “Romania, Romania” to encourage the players
min. 13: Empty Montenegro! The guests open the score through the striker Vuk Vlahovic. After the Romanian defenders could not reject a ball from 20 meters, the ball arrived in Vlahovic, after the Camaj took the face of the Romanian defenders, and the Montenegrin scored with a shot at the long corner, from 13 meters.
min. 11: The “tricolors” are looking for the first time. Vermeșan tried a shot at the long corner from the corner of the box. The ball goes by the gate.
min. 5: Balanced start, with no occasion on the gate for the moment. Montenegro has a better possession, but the “tricolors” appear well and close the spaces.
min. 1: The match started. Romania had the starting blow.

Romania U19 – Montenegro U19, starting teams

Romania U19: Munteanu – Cercel, Fălcușan, Marincău, Marița – Szimionaș – Păcuraru, Matei, Târbă – Kodor, Vermeșan
reserves: Simon, Chinteș, Marin, Călugăr, Bărăitaru, Gua, Băsceanu, Dănciuțiu, Barbu
Selector: Ion Marin

Montenegro U19: Milovic – Vracar, Tomasevic, Damjanovic, Maras – Savovic, Vukanic – Camaj, Dukanovic, Vlahovic – Kost
reserves: Durovic, Zlaticanin, Cetkovic, Perovic, Jaukovic, Sekularac
Selector: Nenad Vukcevic

Stadium: Arc de Triomp (Bucharest)
Referee: Menelaos Antoniou (Cyprus) // Assistants: Eraklis Komodromos (Cyprus), Petar Mitrev (Bulgaria)

UPDATE 20:45 »Images from the opening festivity

15 minutes before the start of the match, the organizers prepared an opening festivity, with an artistic moment.

UPDATE 20:30 »Spain, Victory at the limit

In the first match of the Euro U19 2025, Spain, the champion of Titre, won at the limit, 1-0, with Denmark. The only goal of the match was scored by Izan Merino, the defender of Malaga, even at the end of the first half. For Iberians, the duel follows with Romania, on Monday, at Voluntari.

UPDATE 20:00 »where the Romanian U19 holders play from the first match of Euro

The coach Ion Marin bet on a starting team made up of both players from abroad and from the teams in the country. List below:

• Rafael Munteanu (Câmpulung Muscel, borrowed from Farul Constanța)
• Ionuț Cercel (FCSB
• Darius Fălcușan (Empoli FC)
• Emanuel Marincău (Mainz 05)
• Raul Marița (Greuther Fury)
• Luca Szimionaș (Hellas Verona)
• David Păcuraru (Steaua București, borrowed from Farul Constanța)
• David Matei (Lighthouse)
• Jason Vescan-Kodor (Lecce)
• Ianis Târbă (Celta Vigo)
• Ioan Vermeșan (Hellas Verona)

On the other side, Montenegro has 5 titles from the same team: FK Buducnost.

• Ognjen Milović (FK Kom)
• Miloš Vračar (FK Podgorica)
• Bodin Tomašević (Bologna)
• Bojan Damjanović (FK Sutjeska)
• Lazar Maraš (FC Dečić)
• Danilo Vukanić (FK Buducnost)
• Lazar Savovic (FK Buducnost)
• Andrej Cama (FK Buducnost)
• Stefan Dukanovic (FK Buducnost)
• Vuk Vlahovic (Dinamo Zagreb)
• Andrej Kostić (FK Buducnost)

UPDATE 19:30 »The first images from the” Arc de Triomphe “

About 100 spectators are now present at the “Arc de Triomphe” stadium and around it.

At the final tournament in Romania (play in Bucharest, Voluntari and Ploiești) 8 teams participate, these being divided into two groups. The first two qualifies in the semifinals. Romania is in group A.

Romania's group for Euro U19

• Goalkeepers: Máté Simon (FK Csikszereda), Rafael Munteanu (Câmpulung Muscel / Farul Constanța);
• defense: Alin Chinteș (Unirea Ungheni / University of Cluj), Ionuț Cercel (FCSB), Emanuel Marincău (Mainz 05 / Germany), Darius Fălcușan (Empoli FC / Italy), Raul Marița (Greuther FURTH / Germany), Răzvan Călugăr* (Unirea Alba Iulia / AFC Hermannstadt), Matei Marin (Steaua), Mario Bărăitaru (CSM Slatina);
• Midfielders: Ianis Tarbă (Celta Vigo / Spain), Remus Guțea (FC Voluntari), Luca Szimionaș (Hellas Verona / Italy), David Matei (Steaua București / Craiova University), David Păcuraru (Steaua București / Farul Constanța), Luca Băsceanu (Constanta Farul);
• Attackers: Jason Vescan-Kodor (Lecce / Italy), Vlad Dănciuțiu (Austin FC II / USA), David Barbu (Craiova University), Ioan Vermeșan (Hellas Verona / Italy)