Article by Remus Dinu – published on Sunday, September 7, 2025, 22:32 / Updated Sunday, September 7, 2025 22:33
Gică Mihali, 59, a member of the “Golden Generation”, speaks with concern about the prospects the national teamin an interview with Sunday Gazettei Sports. Former defender of the national team between 1991 and 1996, Mihali criticizes the passivity of “tricolors” and estimates an infernal displacement in Cyprus, on Tuesday, in the preliminaries CM 2026.
The disarming performance of the friend with Canada, lost with a 0-3 stinger, as well as the disastrous qualification campaign, with failures in front of Bosnia and Austria, have almost completely melted the enthusiasm that persisted around the national of Euro 2024.
Gheorghe Mihali, a former important footballer of Dinamo and the national team, addressed some of the topics of interest around the first representative, From the lack of efficiency of basic pieces to the chances of “tricolors” to break the “curse” and reach a world championship after almost 30 years.
Gică Mihali: “We were excited after winning matches with third-hand teams!”
– Hello, Mr. Mihali! What do you say about the national team? We were a little deflated after last year's European Championship, when we were at an extraordinary time.
– I was … but what teams we met in the third league (No Liga C of Nations League)?! It is true, it helps us the results there, that we go to “dam”, But we were very excited that we won some matches with those teams …
– Cyprus, Lithuania, Kosovo, with the last I won at the “Green Mass” …
– Excuse me, they were the third hand! I said “ready, we go to the World Cup” … But look, Bosnia comes home and beats us! It is true, and after a huge arbitration mistake, that maybe things were changing if the penalty referee was. But there were also matches in which we were benefited by arbitration, maybe these things are equivalent.
– The last matches are not at all encouraging. You mentioned the match with Bosnia, then went with Austria, where I escaped cheap, now came the friend with Canada, who did not leave us too many optimistic conclusions.
– I agree with what the coach said, this match should not be taken, because he was demoralized. First of all, Canada is a very good team with good players. My opinion is that it had to be avoided to play this match. Playing and stupid, losing the match, this takes a bit demoralized. And after seeing last night (no Saturday) Cyprus with Austria, I don't think an easy match is waiting for us.
– If you remember the match with Cyprus from June, from Bucharest, they had a very big opportunity at 0-0, it could be over then.
– Yes, there were three against one and I immediately gave us goal.
“If we continue to rely on the Burcă …”
– Individual, however, Mr. Mihali … We observe a total form of name like Dennis Man, Răzvan Marin, Stanciu, now and Moldovan …
– If we continue to rely on Burcă, a man who plays for three years through Arabia, China, and we consider him the best central defender?! Okay, the boy played, but for a while he is no longer of this level! My opinion is that Screciu is better than him on that post.
– Now he has bet Virgil Ghiță, but still near Burcă.
“Yes, I would give him further confidence (No Virgil Ghiță). Remember that Nedelcearu is still, he was taken out and nothing was heard from him, no chance. At the national team, you have to come 100% mounted and play a little and shame! Wait, a little, play in the national team, in front of the country! I have to be fit, be 100%apt, not my thought on the other handthat I go back to the club team … Things now are different. At times, we can hardly wait to come, enter the training ground, meet. Now, maybe boys have other concerns. I liked the national team when it was in Iordănescu period, before the European Championship. Don't forget that Edi also had a bad time, when I relegated to the Nations League!
– Yes, I dropped in League C, after that campaign with Montenegro, Finland, Bosnia …
– Exactly. But after that, what happened at the European Championship was extraordinary! I met Edi in the spring at a children's match, I talked to him and I understood why he had these good results.
“I understood why Edi Iordănescu had good results”
– What did he say? What managed to create Edi Iordănescu, and Mircea Lucescu, with 90% of the composition of that generation, does not succeed now?
– I hope he doesn't mind I'm telling you … he told me so. When he first went to the national team, and his teamman told him that 12 players were late, he remained perplexed, he felt like this could not. A summons passed, two, three passed and saw that things were not going. After starting the campaign for the European, I understood that he had a conversation with the president (no Burleanu).
– And how did that conversation go?
– the president supported from all points of view, set foot on the threshold, And they said, “From now on, nobody moves!” He made his rules, his own. Who wanted to accept them, well, and who did not see… Mitriță did not appear, Ivan did not appear. It does not go to come to the national team with arrogances, that you are a good player, that “what I do, I dribble three players, I lose the ball, but I am accepted.” Look, they were not accepted and that was why Edi Iordănescu had results!
– It seems that Mircea Lucescu does not manage to capacity them, he still accuses that certain players do not evolve enough to their club teams …
– But now I see that they play, they have solved about the contracts. Finally, I saw that he has no attackers now, but I think of Baiaram … In the system he plays in Craiova, he plays a kind of striker. If they are not Bîrligea and Drăguș, does it mean that no one can play there anymore? Look he can play Baiaram too! It's true, to have someone next to him.
Gică Mihali, during the period when he was in activity / photo source: Imago Images
“A infernal match awaits us in Cyprus!”
– Let's see what the tactical decisions will be for Cyprus.
– Of course, a difficult match in Cyprus will be waiting for us. From what I saw in their match with Austria, it will be very difficult! The Cypriots played very well, I think the penalty dictated by the Austrians was not. I saw that the people of Cyprus complain, they are right to do it.
– We cling, then, by this safety net conferred by “dam”.
– Let's not illusions for big things, because it will be very difficult! God has helped us that we won that group and we have assured the “dam” as much as possible. Otherwise, it was very difficult!
The up -to -date situation in group H:
How to qualify Romania at the World Championship, through the League of Nations
Romania has a reserve option to stay in the world race: the Dam in the League of Nations. The “tricolors” won the group in Liga C, with victories on the line in front of Kosovo, Cyprus and Lithuania, accumulating maximum points, 18. It was the only representative of Liga C with a perfect path.
Romania's performance does not only mean promotion in League B, But also a real safety net, if the World Cup campaign ends without success.
Why is the League of Nations a true “option B”? In total, the competition had 14 group winners. Romania was in the first place between those in Liga C and 9th place in the general hierarchy of group winners.
For the World Cup dam, UEFA will offer four places to the best ranked group winners in the League of Nations that will not finish on the first two positions in the preliminaries between the following:
- Spain (A4) – 16 points
- Germany (A3) – 14 points
- Portugal (A1) – 14 points
- France (A2) – 13 points
- England (B2) – 15 points
- Norway (B3) – 13 points
- Wales (B4) – 12 points
- Czech Republic (B1) – 11 points
- Romania (C2) – 18 points
- Sweden (C1) – 16 points
- North Macedonia (C4) – 16 points
- Northern Ireland (C3) – 11 points
- Moldova (D2) – 9 points
- San Marino (D1) – 7 points
In short: no more than three of the first 8 teams in the above hierarchy should not be missing from 1-2 places of preliminary groups for Romania to secure its dam through the League of Nations. Large details and all the calculations, here.
