Denis Drăguș, message before the dam with Turkey: “America is the ultimate dream”

Denis Drăguș, striker of the national team, but also a player of the Eyupspor team, a team from the first league in Turkey, spoke about the important moments of 2025 and prefaced the duel in March, being optimistic that Romania can qualify for the final tournament in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico.

Denis Drăguș regrets the red card in the match against Bosnia

Representatives of the Romanian Football Federation visited Denis Drăguș in Istanbul, where Turkey and Romania will fight in March for a place in the final of the World Championship qualifying round. In an interview given to FRF.TV, the striker spoke about important moments in 2025, but also about the tie with Turkey.

The Romanian international has relived the difficult moments of this year, among which are several injuries, but also the red card received in the game against Bosnia.

“It was a year with many difficult moments that helped me develop, I learned a lot from these experiences. There were periods when I was away from the field, I had two different injuries. If I could, I would relive the match day in Bosnia. I can't tell you how many states I went through after seeing the referee show me the red card.

It was hard to digest. I didn't expect this scenario when I entered the field, I was shocked, taken by surprise”, said Drăguș in the interview.

Romania lost the game with a score of 1-3, and the result did not offer the national team any more chances to finish the group in 2nd place.

Denis Drăguș, the image of disappointment after the red car from Zenica / Photo: Primasport capture

Cute: “We're all thinking about America”

He analyzed the level in the Turkish championship and talked about how his colleagues from club teams, Eyupspor, reacted to learning about the duel with Romania.

“It's a very strong championship and as a footballer you can develop here. From a footballing point of view, the duels are tough, it's an aggressive championship and it's played a lot in transition, from goal to goal, so you need a very good physical condition.

They are very sure that they will qualify, they have such an attitude of superiority, but I think we also have our chances, even if they are favourites. We've been in this situation before, when we met teams that didn't take us seriously, and we took advantage. However, I think it will be a beautiful match to live and I hope we will remember it well in years to come”, he continued.

The Romanian striker said that all the national players are thinking about qualifying for the World Cup, where Romania has not qualified since 1998. He believes that they will all give their best to qualify, despite the fact that an incendiary atmosphere is expected at Beşiktaş Arena, the stadium where the decisive match will be played.

“I think the fans know that if we are healthy and in good shape we can get a good result against Turkey. We all think of America, it's the ultimate dream. There are only two games that separate us from him. We will all give our all to achieve it.

The city is very beautiful, it is also close to Romania. It is one of the most beautiful stadiums in the country. If the score goes in our favor, I don't know what the atmosphere will be like. It's a match that deserves to be felt from all points of view”, he concluded for the previously mentioned source.

• Turkey – Romania will be played on March 26, 2026, in Istanbul, at the Beşiktaş Arena

• If Romania prevails in the semi-final against Turkey, Mircea Lucescu's students will play the decisive qualifying match on the field of the winner between Slovakia and Kosovo

• If Romania prevails in both duels, it will qualify for the World Championship, where it was placed in a group with the United States of America, Paraguay and Australia

PHOTO. The stadium where Turkey – Romania will play