Article by Romeo Ene – Published on Thursday, 26 March 2026 22:07 / Updated on Thursday, 26 March 2026 22:21
Turkey – Romania 1-0. Gabi Balint (63 years old) had a tough speech at the end of the failure in Istanbul. He criticized the “tricolors” for playing fearfully and believes that Mircea Lucescu (80 years old) could have taken more risks.
Extremely frustrated and disappointed, the former great striker of the national team is of the opinion that Turkey was a team to beat, and Romania played a weak game, without horizons.
Balint accuses the fact that the “tricolors” preferred to defend and did not come out to play, especially after Montella's national team opened the scoring.
Gabi Balint, after Turkey – Romania 1-0: “I would go to bed, but I don't really feel like sleeping”
“I would go to bed, but I don't really feel like sleeping. If someone enters with the number 18, they will definitely score (no – the t-shirt worn by Gică Craioveanu, present in the studio). Oh, yes, Răzvan Marin.
We were careless with the goal we conceded, it was a phase where Man got his opponent off the mark and what happened happened, after an extraordinary pass from Güler.
Otherwise, the whole match was deleted, he walked on the field, probably the fatigue from the Champions League and La Liga speaks for itself. After 20 minutes of playing I realized that I had better chances than when it started.
We saw a slow, unpredictable Turkey that didn't have solutions, didn't give us problems, even if they had possession.
We had a problem on the right side of our defense, they created some chances there, but not big chances. Instead, we achieved nothing, absolutely nothing, when we got possession of the ball.
We didn't connect two or three passes, we lost the ball very easily, we rarely got into the opponent's box to cause them problems, and then we can't have any pretensions to move on.
Let's see what Gică Hagi comes up with, probably with a different spirit, a different mentality. We analyze the match we experienced together and everyone is disappointed. I ask myself a question, is that all we can do?
That's how much we succeed, to get into the opposing box more often, to cause them problems, just to defend ourselves and be happy that Man, Mihăilă, Bîrligea are doing an extraordinary defensive phase? Is this football? With the rear in goal?
If we propose something, we have to play. Why can't we? Make some passes, dribble, are they gods in front of you?”, said Gabi Balint, at Digi Sport.
Too little. I think we could have done more tonight, especially against the background of their easy game. I think they were also loaded a lot. Before the match we all talk that we have to take advantage, that we have a chance, to have courage, to do, to manage.
The players say they have prepared, but when you watch the game you see nothing but a wall there in front, cracked, and that's all you see, you don't see anything else.
And we have players who play in the Champions League, we're not really like that. We needed more risk, especially through changes, we were sending them to attack, we could get the second goal, that's it. We could have more chances to score.– Gabi Balintafter Turkey – Romania 1-0
PHOTO GALLERY. Images from the end of the Turkey – Romania dam
