Luck with visual impairments, the new 'emblem' of the tricolors

The national team, entered into the realm of luck with visual impairments, has a new opportunity today to consolidate its second place, which leads directly to next year's European Championship. The three points from the match against Kosovo can be crucial. Without losing in the group stage matches, our team has managed to raise a wave of criticism due to the performance, one that is absolutely horrifying aesthetically and technically. The coach has already been labeled as lucky (even luckier than his father, who helped him get this position), and not even qualification for the final tournament in Germany will be able to remove it. A neutral observer might be puzzled; for years, efficiency has been talked about at the expense of spectacle, and when it appeared, albeit limping, people are dissatisfied. As always, there is a middle ground in this case, but it's hard to believe that the current squad with the current coach will find it. One thing must be noted, even though Edward Iordănescu continues his bland speeches, much like the team's game, players with a bit more personality have started to speak out when it comes to statements.

After the lucky draw with Israel, Iordănescu said: "Thanks to the fans. I wish we could have given them more. We are very aware of how the game went. If we had managed better, we could have won, but we could have also lost. My confidence in the group remains intact, and I believe we will make it to the Euros. The opponents had a lot of individual quality. I was satisfied with the first half, but in the second half, there were many mistakes, and we conceded. That's how it is, but I have faith in the group. All matches are important, Kosovo drew with Switzerland, they earned a point. We rely a lot on cohesion, on the group, on spirit, but we need more courage. We need to recover well and achieve a positive result against Kosovo." However, midfielder Răzvan Marin was much more direct and blunt: "We wanted it very much, but unfortunately, we couldn't take advantage of this opportunity. Kosovo drew with Switzerland, so if we had won, we would have been in first place tied with Switzerland. I think we were about 70% qualified. The Kosovo match is coming up, and we need to win. We need to take those 3 points if we want to make it to the EURO. If not, then we should stay at home. We need to play our game; we have a lot to improve. If we play at our maximum capacity, we can win. We withdrew a lot against Israel, didn't hold onto the ball, didn't create chances. Maybe we wanted it too much. If we want to go to the EURO and embarrass ourselves, we might as well stay home and watch TV. We're in second place, but I don't think anyone is happy with the way we're playing. I don't like it; I don't feel good when we have such matches. We can do much better." The benching of Marin after such a speech is easily anticipated, but the players' dissatisfaction with the technical and tactical aspect is evident. Even captain Stanciu, known for his shyness in front of microphones, showed a hint of dissatisfaction: "We had a pretty good first half, but considering the second half, I don't think we deserved to win. We played quite timidly, started losing ground involuntarily. A 1-0 lead is fragile, and it's difficult to go through a half just trying to defend. In the end, we have to settle for one point. The Kosovo match has become vital. It's obligatory for us to take those three points against Kosovo. There are moments when we need to enjoy playing football, with joy, but today we didn't do that, at least in the second half. We need to enjoy football more, be better in ball play." It is becoming increasingly clear that the step back in this match and others is commanded from the coaching bench. Another draw with Kosovo doesn't help us, but it also doesn't eliminate us from qualification calculations. In Group I standings, Switzerland is in the lead with 11 points, followed by Romania in second place with 9 points. Israel is in third place with 8 points, followed by Belarus with 4 points, Kosovo with 4 points, and Andorra with 2 points."