Gabi Balint, warning after Ionuț Radu's injury: “I had it too. It's so hard to recover…” » Who should have replaced him: “It was more appropriate”

• Turkey – Romania will be played on March 26, from 19:00, match broadcast by Prima TV. If we win, we play the World Cup qualification final against Slovakia/Kosovo on March 31, 2026.

• Gazeta Sporturilor has 6 experienced reporters in Istanbul who will send the most important information, the best reports and a series of multimedia correspondence.

Ionuț Radu was injured in the 60th minute of the game Celta Vigo – Alaves, 3-4, but continued the game. Gabi Balint reported that the goalkeeper did this because he is not used to injuries. However, the former international believes, from his own experience, that Ionuț Radu would not have been fit for the game against Turkey.

Also, Gabi Balint is of the opinion that Ștefan Târnova should not have been called urgently and not Laurențiu Popescu, the goalkeeper from Craiova University.

Gabi Balint spoke about Ionuț Radu's injury: “I don't think goalkeepers have fallen like that before”

“We have to believe. We have a chance, smaller than theirs. They have the first chance, they are playing at home. Valoric is over us. We have problems, especially with the goalkeepers. This is not good. If they had played in Romania, maybe it would have been different, but it will be much more difficult. It's incredible… I don't think it's ever happened before that goalkeepers fall like this…

I don't know, maybe Ionuț Radu was not used to such injuries. It is a calf muscle injury. I had too. They are extremely dangerous. So hard to recover… Maybe he didn't think it was muscular, maybe he thought it was the hair. He tried to get over. When there are muscle injuries you have to stop. You run the risk of the rift getting bigger. I think that's what happened to him too. He should have gone out for him. I don't think he was good for the Turkey match even if he came out.

I'm sure it wasn't 100% game. He made himself worse. The doctor had nothing to do when he entered the field. Only he knew what he felt. The doctor can give his opinion after the evaluation. He tells on the field what is happening.

Let's hope whoever defends has a good game. A fit goalkeeper is needed. I also join the group that doesn't understand why they didn't call Târnovanu. I don't understand why. He was good, he has European experience. He doesn't have a long period of non-appearance. I think it was the most appropriate, in my opinion. It's important. If something happens to Aioani. You have two backup goalkeepers who have no experience. They don't know what a fuss is“, said Gabi Balint on the Football Club show from Digi Sport.

There is nothing to say to justify the fall we had yesterday, other than to apologize and put this moment behind us. We will use this frustration as the fuel to push us forward in the next matches! In the coming days I will undergo medical tests to find out the extent of the injury from which I need to recover. Thanks for the messages of support!

–Ionuț Radu's message after the injury

Romania's lot for the dam with Turkey

porter: Marian AIOANI (FC Rapid 1923, 0/0), Cătălin CĂBUZ (FC Argeș, 0/0); Laurentiu POPESCU (University of Craiova, 0/0)

defense: Andrei RAțIU (Rayo Vallecano | Spain, 36/2), Deian SORESCU (Gaziantep FK | Turkey, 23/0), Radu DRĂGUȘIN (Tottenham | England, 27/1), Andrei BURCĂ (Yunnan Yukun | China, 44/1), Virgil GHIȚ (Hannover 96 | Germany, 8/1), Adrian RUS (Universitatea Craiova, 22/1), Andrei COUBIȘ (Cluj University, 0/0), Nicușor BANCU (Craiova University, 50/2), Kevin CIUBOTARU (Hermannstadt, 1/0);

midfielders: Vladimir SCRECIU (Universitatea Craiova, 6/0), Vlad DRAGOMIR (Pafos | Cyprus, 5/0), Răzvan MARIN (AEK Athens | Greece, 72/12), Nicolae STANCIU (Dalian Yingbo | China, 84/15), Florin TĂNASE (FCSB, 26/5), Ianis HAGI (Alanyaspor | Turkey, 51/8), Dennis MAN (PSV | Netherlands, 43/11), Alexandru DOBRE (FC Rapid 1923, 5/0), Valentin MIHĂILĂ (Caykur Rizespor | Turkey, 33/5), Claudiu PETRILA (FC Rapid 1923, 2/0), Ștefan BAIARAM (Universitatea Craiova, 2/1);

ATTACKERS: Daniel BÎRLIGEA (FCSB, 7/2), David MICULESCU (FCSB, 6/0), Marius COMAN (UTA Arad, 0/0).