Romania’s national football team suffered a heavy defeat, losing 6-0 to Poland in Warsaw. Following this painful loss, Gheorghe Hagi, the team’s head coach at 61, addressed the media and confirmed he will remain in his role for the next match against Sweden on October 5 at the National Arena, scheduled to kick off at 21:45.
The match against Poland marked a dark night for the Romanian team, where the early red card shown to Radu Drăgușin in the 22nd minute dramatically changed the course of the game. Hagi has now become the first coach to lose the first three official matches of his tenure.
Gică Hagi’s Reaction to the Defeat
After the match, Hagi reflected on the disappointing performance, stating, “We wanted to build on what we did well after the elimination. We had a corner opportunity, and I instructed the team to play directly to conserve energy for defense, but everything fell apart. It may have been overconfidence that led us to believe we could change the game. In 10 minutes, they scored, and then it all collapsed. It’s a painful result, but we hope to move forward.
“Everything will take a night; tomorrow we must start over. We have an important home game and hope to regroup and move forward. After these four matches, there will be evaluations, likely significant ones. Football must go on and improve.
“In these two days, we won’t discuss resignation; the pain is too great. We focus solely on the loss, which hurts us deeply. Tomorrow we return home, stay together, and think only about the match against Sweden; there are no other thoughts.”
Hagi took responsibility for the defeat, emphasizing that mistakes were made tactically and during gameplay. He noted, “We, as a team, did not react as we should have. We needed to defend excellently, especially in the second half. I am primarily to blame — we conceded four goals at home and six away.
Hagi expressed disappointment but also a desire to maintain an optimistic outlook heading into the match against Sweden. He acknowledged the challenge posed by Poland’s talented players and indicated the need for strategic adjustments.
Notably, Romania had not conceded six goals in a match since November 13, 1977, when they lost 4-6 to Yugoslavia. Additionally, their last six-goal defeat came on May 24, 1967, against Switzerland, where the score was 1-7.
Photo Gallery: Highlights from Poland vs. Romania, 6-0
Standings in Romania’s Nations League Group
