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ROMANIA 2 / GREECE 1, April 8, 1998. |
BUCHAREST, Romania, April 8, 1998 (AP). In the absence of its top players, Romania, one of the seeded teams at this summer's World Cup finals, struggled to beat Greece 2-1 in a friendly game on Wednesday. It was Romania's second warm-up match but its first victory. In March, Romania suffered a stunning 1-0 loss to Israel, also on home ground. Coventry City's striker Viorel Moldovan scored Romania's first goal in the 62nd minute. He headed home a ball perfectly centered from a corner kick by F.C. Cologne's Dorinel Munteanu. In the 80th minute, Romania's Constantin Barbu scored from close range after Greek goalie Ilias Atmatzidis warded off a ball blasted by Radu Niculescu from 16 meters (yards). The visiting team reduced the difference four minutes later when Alecos Alexandris headed in a ball from only few meters (yards) after a center from Takis Gonias. Romania didn't do too well in the first half but regained its strength in the second when play was directed by PSV Eindhoven's midfielder Ovidiu Stanga. The Greeks missed a good scoring chance in the 14th minute when Zissis Vryzas failed tow score from inside the penalty area. The match was of special importance for Romanian coach Anghel Iordanescu, who will lead the Greek national soccer team after the World Cup in France. Iordanescu will try to make Greece qualify for the final rounds of the 2000 European Championship, to be hosted jointly by Belgium and the Netherlands. Five of Romania's top players were out Wednesday because of injuries or other commitments. The team's star, Gheorghe Hagi, and his teammates Gheorghe Popescu and Iulian Filpescu were excused because they had to play for Galatasaray in the Turkish soccer Cup final against Besiktas. Striker Adrian Ilie of Valencia was sent back to Spain after a pulled muscle and defender Tibor Selymes of Anderlecht was also unfit to play. Romania Bogdan Stelea, Anton Dobos, Constantin Dulca, Dan Petrescu, Stefan Nanu, Gabi Popescu, Costel Galca, Ovidiu Stanga, Dorinel Munteanu, Viorel Moldovan, Radu Niculescu; Greece Ilias Atmatzidis, Stratos Apostolakis, Theodoros Zagorakis, Kyriacos Karataidis, Giorgos Georgiadis, Costas Frantzeskos, Alecos Alexandris, Grigoris Georgatos, Zissis Vryzas, Yiannis Anastassiou, Takis Gonias. 
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