“For 75 minutes we were taught football. Austria played as Mircea Lucescu would like to play Romania”
Article by Maria Olteanu – published on Sunday, June 08, 2025, 00:53 / Updated Sunday, June 08, 2025 01:00
Austria – Romania 2-1. Raul Rusescu (36 years old) criticized in harsh terms the performance of the national team in Austria, failure 1-2. Florin Tanase scored in the 90+5 minute of honor, but which did not count at all in the equation of the points put into play.
After the match, at GSP Live Special, the program moderated by Mihai Mironică, the former Romanian international had a harsh reaction, considering that the game provided by Austria is exactly what Mircea Lucescu wants to achieve from his students.
Exclusive video. Raul Rusescu, hard reaction after failure with Austria
“My expectations from tape players, when you play in 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, are to take individual actions, put pressure on the advertising defenders, to leave the defensive midfielder, the central, side defenders, to breathe. We did not do this. Leave it softer.
I had a very beautiful execution through Nicușor Stanciu, a mistake there when they left him free, an occasion where it could be 2-1. But 75 minutes was taught by football!
What it means to start between lines, find space, attack space, probably Austria played exactly how the coach would like to play Romania, ”said Raul Rusescu, after the match, at GSP Live Special.
Photo gallery. What happened immediately after the final whistle in Austria – Romania: Cadre with Lucescu, Stanciu and Burleanu
We compensated with a good organization. Too bad I received a goal in the 43rd minute. We had some counterattacks from which we could score, but we could not materialize them. I decreased the pace in the second half, they took over the initiative and were more dangerous. Are at a very high level. I am satisfied with the efforts of the boys – they could, they gave.
They listened to what I said, they respected the tactical indications, but at one point the difference of physical capacity intervened. You saw the Austrians-very fast. We kept the ball, but we were slow, and they took advantage. I also had bad luck: to take an empty, then an autogole … I was not enough reactive. Any shot could be diverted and turn into empty.
– Mircea Lucescu, selector Romania
The ranking in group H
