Reserve last night and the protagonist of the biggest chance wasted by Romania in the defeat against Turkey, score 0-1Nicolae Stanciu was impossible to console after the end of the game in Istanbul. The captain of the “tricolors” remained with a lost look for good sequences after the final whistle, the discussions about his future in the first representative team already started in the studios of the sports broadcasts.
Defeated to the limit by Turkey, the Romanian national team destroyed any chance of reaching the World Cup in the summer and reached a demoralizing run of seven consecutive missed qualifiers at the most prestigious international competition.
The failure in Istanbul had oppressive echoes regarding Nicolae Stanciu, 32 years old, the leader of the national team in recent years, but who gradually lost his starting place during the mandate of Mircea Lucescu.
Nicolae Stanciu, where? Overwhelmed after another missed World Cup
Chinese midfielder Dalian Yingbo was only brought on in the 71st minute and signed the biggest chance of the match minutes later, at the phase where the ball went parallel to the goal line, following a tracer on the edge of the box.
Immediately after the final whistle, Nicolae Stanciu could not mask his feeling of hopelessness. In the minutes that remained on the field, when our players went to the gallery, the “tricolors” decare was seriously marked by the unfavorable result.
Staring blankly and covering his face with his shirt, Stanciu left the impression that he is the most affected of Lucescu's players!
The photojournalists present on the pitch captured some eloquent shots with the footballer who will turn 33 on May 7 and who risks ending his adventure at the national team without a World Cup in his portfolio.
With his face buried in his hands and a hopeless moodStanciu was deeply affected by the qualification failure, sitting down at one point to put his thoughts in order.
Since he made his debut with the national team, in the spring of 2016, Nicolae Stanciu participated in two European tournaments with the national team: EURO 2016, when he had not yet become an indispensable man for the national team, and last year's final tournament, in which he was the leader of the current generation, scoring a splendid goal in the victory against Ukraine.
Not even teammate Andrei Burcă could console the one who was a few centimeters away from bringing Romania back into the game.
15 goalsNicolae Stanciu succeeded in the national team shirt, in 85 selections. He also has 9 assists
“I don't know if I'm a captain or an ex-captain”
He appeared equally dejected at the flash-interview, his statements being interpreted in several ways by journalists. Stanciu was ambiguous about his future at the national team, the speech being perceived rather on a pessimistic note:
“The next World Cup campaign will be in 2 years. I'm 32 years old, I don't know what will happen.
(…) “I don't know if I'm a former captain or a current captain, I don't know what I call anymoret. I always came willing to give everything. I never put myself first. I always put the team. I always took responsibility for my failures. That's right, I'm the first to set an example. At the victory, the whole team is congratulated. When I lose, I'm the first to admit it. It's a big disappointment. In 10 years, we have not succeeded, with different generations, in qualifying for a World Championship”.
There is not much to say. The qualification was lost. I have nothing more to say. It's hard enough to watch a game from the sidelines. I had bigger emotions than those on the field. It was a difficult match. We knew it was going to be a difficult game. We did not rise to the level of the match or the Turks were better than us, let's say the right one.
– Nicolae Stanciu, Romanian midfielder
