Romania turned in an energetic performance to secure the nation’s first European Championship win in 24 years, defeating Ukraine 3-0 in their Euro 2024 Group E opener.

Impressive long-range efforts in both halves, including one from captain and standout performer Nicolae Stanciu and another from midfielder Razvan Marin, stunned Serhiy Rebrov’s Ukraine, who controlled the first 20 minutes of the match on Monday.

Stanciu’s powerful shot into the top right corner left Ukraine goalkeeper Andriy Lunin no chance. However, Lunin could have performed better on the second goal, which slipped underneath him during his dive.

Rebrov’s team paid heavily for their failure to turn early possession into meaningful chances, as Romania absorbed the pressure and then struck on the counterattack after regaining possession deep in their own territory.

Romania coach Edward Iordanescu had declared before the game that his players would battle for every inch on the field. They delivered on this promise, making aggressive tackles and sprinting across the pitch to defend and initiate counterattacks as their enthusiastic fans cheered them on.

The outcome was effectively sealed shortly before the hour mark when dynamic forward Dennis Man drove into the penalty area from a corner and delivered a pass across the goal for Denis Dragus to finish off.

Romania’s solid defence prevented Ukraine from creating any real goal-scoring opportunities, helping to secure Romania’s second win out of 17 matches in European Championship history, the first being a 3-2 win over England at Euro 2000.

For Iordanescu, whose father Anghel managed Romania in three different spells and led them to the 1994 World Cup quarterfinals, the victory was a perfect birthday present, reinforcing the credibility of their unbeaten qualifying campaign.