Spain avoids a crushing blow in a final push against Romania

We tend to underestimate certain teams that rarely occupy the top positions, either at the senior or U21 levels. They're teams that rely on a strong crop of players to keep their heads above water. However, a mistake and Spanish quality managed to sink them just before the finish line. Denia's side made a last-gasp comeback after Blanuta 's expulsion.

Munteanu 's Romania is a more dangerous side than its history suggests, although the tricolor reached the semifinals in 2019. The Cluj striker, who has scored 19 goals in 25 matches, has the class to score the goal he put past Iturbe in the 4th minute and to cause other scares to a Spanish team that started less enthusiastically than in its debut against Slovakia.

The striker executed a controlled shot from the left corner of the Spanish penalty area, and it's hard to tell which touch was more impressive. The Carpathian team needed the win after a narrow defeat to Italy, so they made several dangerous attempts on the Spanish goal from the start. In fact, Ilie missed the second shortly after his teammate's superb goal.

Spain showed mercy shortly after, after Pubill stole the ball with Romania out of position. He passed to Joseph , who left Diego López without a goalkeeper on the penalty spot, but the Asturian hit a defender on the line. And the Cantabrian continued with mercy shortly after, after missing a penalty for holding Tárrega . These scares, like Pubill hitting the crossbar after a corner, kept the Yellows in their own half, waiting for a counterattack while the 10 Spanish players played in the opponent's half.

Only three survivors remained from the Romanian team that lost 3-0 in the last European Championship: Munteanu, Popescu , and Borza , all three starters for Daniel Pancu's dynamite and defensive team. In that match, Spain's three goals came in the second half. Santi Denia 's team was determined to do just that, since in the first half, the three-color tangle in front of Sava was a real challenge to unravel.

The La Mancha native came out with all his might in the second half, replacing Pubill with Moro and Torre with Roberto Fernández . Both sides came close to tying the game with their first chance, but the pitch gradually tilted as the minutes wore on, and Sava 's name was heard a lot in the Spanish crowd. His save on a point-blank shot from Tárrega was particularly noteworthy.

Iturbe wanted to respond to his counterpart's response to a double Romanian chance with half an hour remaining, which would have forced Spain to face Italy in a bitter battle for qualification. It was an oasis in the desert, although the match became increasingly complicated, perhaps due to nerves or lack of play between the lines, to the point that Grameni had the clearest chance to double Romania's lead in the 80th minute.

Then came Blanuta 's reckless play, which earned him a red card for a foul on Mosquera , and Jauregizar 's shot to tie the game. All in a single minute. There wasn't even time to enjoy the numerical advantage. The Bilbao native refused to let it go, with a monumental, much-needed shot to avoid a crushing defeat on the final day.

Barely two minutes later, it was Roberto Fernández who played as number nine to turn the score around and avoid a bitter match against Italy. The Romanians felt the shock of the sending-off, and the Spanish got out of a difficult situation. The Romanians felt the shock of the sending-off, and the Spanish got out of a difficult situation. Qualification is a done deal, and the dream of a sixth European title remains alive.