FRANCE 98 – Match Summary n°45
A goal midway through the second half by Coventry City’s Viorel Moldovan secured Romania a barely-deserved 1-1 draw with Tunisia at the Stade de France on Friday, but more importantly gave his side top spot in Group G ahead of England.
Moldovan’s 72nd minute strike was greeted with deafening cheers by Romania’s travelling contingent of fans as it ensured they would avoid Argentina in the second round and face less dangerous opponents in the shape of Croatia-just what coach Anghel Iordanescu had ordered. ” We have reached our objective which was to top the group. Playing Croatia in Bordeaux is the best thing that could happen to us, “ Iordanescu, who is going to coach the Greek national side after the World Cup, said. Iordanescu, who guided the side to the 1994 World Cup quarter-finals, also held his hands up for the side’s poor display, which grabbed them the vital point. ” If we were disorganised in the first half it’s my fault. I brought five new players in. I hoped that we would give the others a bit of a rest, “ the former Romanian army general said.
New Tunisia coach Ali Selim, who took over from Henry Kasperczak after he was sacked following Tunisia’s 1-0 loss to Colombia on Monday, said that after all that had happened the result was like a win. ” The last three days were very difficult. We had to save our honour and go home with at least a point, “ he said.
In an opening period largely dominated by the North Africans it was like watching the peroxide primadonnas as the Romanians, who all appeared as clones sporting a punk-style peroxide haircut, only succeeded in turning the few hairs left on Iordanescu’s head grey. The Eastern Europeans were generally devoid of inspiration, despite the promptings of 33-year-old Gheorghe Hagi, the so-called ” Maradona of the Carpathians. ” They trooped in at the break 1-0 down to a tenth-minute penalty converted by Skander Souayah. And the North Africans’ lead was fully deserved.
As early as the second minute, Mehdi ben Slimane raced into the right hand side of the box driving in a low shot which Romanian keeper Bogdan Stelea blocked with his legs. It was clear that the North Africans were determined to go out of the tournament with their pride intact to give Selmi a winning start as coach. And in the tenth minute they took the lead. Christian Dulca fouled the onrushing Adel Selimi and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Souayah stepped up and drilled the ball inside the left hand post past Stelea’s despairing dive to the delight of the huge Tunisian contingent.
Iordanescu, who took a risk in playing four men-including Hagi-who were on one yellow card, reacted to his side’s poor first-half showing by bringing on Adrian Ilie, scorer of the goal against Colombia, to give the attack some bite. That gave the Romanians new heart and Tunisia briefly had to carry out some last-ditch defending, leading to a booking for Souayah on 57 minutes for scything down Constantin Galca.
But the Tunisians were still not being stretched enough as aimless balls through the middle were routinely cut out by the ever-alert Chokri El Ouaer on the edge of his penalty box. Iordanescu quickly decided another change was in order and gave Moldovan his chance in the 67th minute in place of former Spurs and West Ham misfit Ilie Dumitrescu, now of Deportivo Atlante in Mexico.
And within five minutes Moldovan, who has failed to find his feet in the Premiership with Coventry, had scored the equaliser. Ilie hared down the right and whipped over a high cross which Ferid Chouchane could only nod out as far as Moldovan, who hooked home a right-footed shot with El Ouaer stranded in no man’s land. His equaliser was enough to ensure that England’s 2-0 win over Colombia in Lens made no difference.
El Ouaer had the consolation of earning 1,000 dollars for an SOS Children’s Village in Tunisia when he was awarded the Mastercard Man of the Match.