Romania national under-21 football team
| Nickname(s) | Tricolorii Mici (The Small Tricolours) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Romanian Football Federation | |||
| Head coach | Emil Săndoi | |||
| Captain | Vladimir Screciu | |||
| Most caps | Alexandru Pașcanu (29) | |||
| Top scorer | George Pușcaș (18) | |||
| Home stadium | Ilie Oană | |||
| ||||
| Biggest win | ||||
 Armenia 0–5 Romania  (Yerevan, Armenia; 16 November 2004)  Azerbaijan 0–5 Romania (Trabzon, Turkey; 25 April 1995) | ||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||
 Germany 8–0 Romania (Magdeburg, Germany; 9 September 2014) | ||||
| UEFA U-21 Championship | ||||
| Appearances | 3 (first in 1998) | |||
| Best result | Semi-finals (2019) | |||
The Romania national under-21 football team, also known as Romania under-21s or Romania U21(s), is considered to be the feeder team for the Romania national football team.
This team is for Romanian players aged under 21 at the start of the calendar year in which a two-year European Under-21 Football Championship campaign begins, so some players can remain with the squad until the age of 23. As long as they are eligible, players can play for Romania at any level, making it possible to play for the U21s, senior side, and again for the U21s. It is also possible to play for one country at youth level and another at senior level (providing the player has not played a senior competitive game in his previous country.)
The U-21 team came into existence, following the realignment of UEFA's youth competitions, in 1976. Romania qualified for the 1998 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, and under Victor Pițurcă reached the quarter-finals, where they were knocked out by the Netherlands. Romania had been 1–0 up, but were eventually beaten 2–1. The Romanian lineup included players like: Cosmin Contra, Bogdan Lobonț, Cătălin Munteanu, Ionel Dănciulescu and Ion Luțu.
Romania once again qualified unbeaten for the finals after topping their group in the qualifying series. The Romanians reached semi-final of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship for the first time in their history in the 2019 UEFA Under-21 Euro but eventually lost 4–2 to defending champions Germany who scored twice in the dying moments. Romania qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics for their first Olympics since 1964. Overall, Romania was a revelation at the tournament, beating both England and Croatia (4-2 and 4–1), and looked on course for a shock before Germany fought back to make the final.
Romania U21s do not have a permanent home. They play in stadia dotted all around Romania, in an attempt to encourage younger fans in all areas of the country to get behind Romania. Because of the lower demand compared to the senior national team, smaller grounds can be used.
Competitive record
UEFA U-21 Championship Record
| UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship record | UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Qualification record | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1978 | did not qualify | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 8 | |||||||
| 1980 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 3 | ||||||||
| 1982 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 12 | ||||||||
| 1984 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 12 | ||||||||
| 1986 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 7 | ||||||||
| 1988 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| 1990 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 7 | ||||||||
| 1992 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 9 | ||||||||
 1994 |
8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 10 | ||||||||
 1996 |
10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 10 | ||||||||
| 1998 |
Quarter-Finals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 4 | |
 2000 |
did not qualify | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 8 | |||||||
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} 2002 |
8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 5 | ||||||||
| 2004 |
8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ||||||||
 2006 |
10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 8 | ||||||||
 2007 |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | ||||||||
 2009 |
8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 3 | ||||||||
 2011 |
10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 6 | ||||||||
 2013 |
8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 6 | ||||||||
 2015 |
8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 19 | ||||||||
 2017 |
10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 14 | ||||||||
  2019 |
Semi-Finals | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 4 | |
  2021 |
Group Stage | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 7 | |
 2023 |
qualified | Qualified as hosts | ||||||||||||
| Total | 4/24 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 14 | 160 | 87 | 31 | 52 | 268 | 181 | |
Olympic Games
Football at the Summer Olympics was first played officially in 1908. The Olympiads between 1896 and 1980 was only open for amateur players. The 1984 and 1988 tournaments were open to players with no appearances in the FIFA World Cup. After the 1988 Olympics, the football event was changed into a tournament for U23 or U21 teams with a maximum of three older players. See Romania national football team for competition record from 1908 until 1988.
| Olympic Games record | Olympic Games Qualification record ** | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D * | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1992 |
did not qualify | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 9 | ||||||||
 1996 |
10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 10 | |||||||||
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} 2000 |
8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 8 | |||||||||
 2004 |
8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |||||||||
 2008 |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | |||||||||
 2012 |
10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 6 | |||||||||
 2016 |
8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 19 | |||||||||
 2020 |
qualified | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 29 | 11 | ||||||||
| 2024 |
to be determined | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| 2028 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
- *Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
- **Includes both qualification phase and final tournament of UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.
- ***Gold background color indicates that the tournament was won. Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.
EURO 2021
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | |
|
 |
 |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denmark |
10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 9 | +12 | 26 | Final tournament | — | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 5–1 | |
| 2 | Romania |
10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 7 | +15 | 20 | 1–1 | — | 3–0 | 4–1 | 3–0 | 4–1 | ||
| 3 | Ukraine |
10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 11 | +6 | 16 | 2–3 | 1–0 | — | 0–2 | 3–0 | 4–0 | ||
| 4 | Finland |
10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 15 | −1 | 13 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 0–2 | — | 1–1 | 4–0 | ||
| 5 | Northern Ireland |
10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 13 | −6 | 9 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–3 | — | 0–0 | ||
| 6 | Malta |
10 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 30 | −26 | 1 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 1–4 | 0–1 | 0–2 | — |
Results and fixtures
Win Draw Loss
2020
| 4 September 2020 2021 UEFA U21 Q | Finland | 1–3 | Romania | Turku, Finland |
| UTC+02:00 |
|
Report | Stadium: Veritas Stadion, Turku Attendance: 0 Referee: Anastasios Papapetrou (Greece) |
| 8 September 2020 2021 UEFA U21 Q | Malta | 0–3 | Romania | Ta' Qali, Malta |
| UTC+02:00 | Stadium: Centenary Stadium, Ta' Qali Attendance: 0 Referee: Gergő Bogár (Hungary) |
| 13 October 2020 2021 UEFA U21 Q | Romania | 4–1 | Malta | Giurgiu, Romania |
| UTC+02:00 |
|
Stadium: Stadionul Marin Anastasovici |
| 17 November 2020 2021 UEFA U21 Q | Romania | 1–1 | Denmark | Ploiești, Romania |
| UTC+02:00 |
|
Stadium: Ilie Oană Stadium |
2021
| 24 March 2021 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship | Romania | 1–1 | Netherlands | Budapest, Hungary |
| 21:00 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Bozsik Aréna Attendance: 0[1][note 1] Referee: Sandro Schärer (Switzerland) |
| 27 March 2021 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship | Hungary | 1–2 | Romania | Budapest, Hungary |
| 18:00 |
|
Report | Stadium: Bozsik Aréna Attendance: 0[2][note 1] Referee: Lawrence Visser (Belgium) |
| 30 March 2021 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship | Germany | 0–0 | Romania | Budapest, Hungary |
| 18:00 | Report | Stadium: Bozsik Aréna Attendance: 0[3][note 1] Referee: Guillermo Cuadra Fernández (Spain) |
| 7 September 2021 Friendly | Romania | 1–1 | Georgia | Voluntari, Romania |
| 21:00 UTC+02:00 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Stadionul Anghel Iordănescu |
| 7 October 2021 Friendly | Romania | 1–0 | Sweden | Marbella, Spain |
| UTC+03:00 |
|
Stadium: Marbella Football Center |
| 9 October 2021 Friendly | Romania | 1–3 |  Mexico | Marbella, Spain |
| UTC+03:00 |
|
Stadium: Marbella Football Center |
| 16 November 2021 Friendly | Italy | 4–2 | Romania | Frosinone, Italy |
| UTC+01:00 |
|
|
Stadium: Stadio Benito Stirpe |
2022
| 25 March 2022 Friendly | Romania | 2–1 | Finland | Mogoșoaia, Romania |
| UTC+02:00 |
|
Stadium: Stadionul Mogoșoaia |
| 29 March 2022 Friendly | Morocco  | 2–2 | Romania | Rabat, Morocco |
| UTC+02:00 |
|
Stadium: Stade Moulay Hassan |
| 7 June 2022 Friendly | Slovakia | 4–3 | Romania | Senec, Slovakia |
| 17:30 | Tučný  17' Vojtko 53' (pen.) Kelemen 80' Kaprálik 83' |
Report | Marković 24', 48' Corbu 33' |
Stadium: NTC Senec Attendance: 375 Referee: Pavel Orel (Czech Republic) |
| 23 September 2022 Friendly | Romania | 1–4 | Spain | Cluj-Napoca, Romania |
| 16:00 | Ruiz 8' Ruiz 18' Riquelme 80' Riquelme 89' |
Report | Miculescu 85' |
Stadium: Cluj Arena Attendance: 4500 Referee: Sorin Vădana (Romania) |
| 27 September 2022 Friendly | Romania | 0–0 | Netherlands | Cluj-Napoca, Romania |
| 16:00 | Report | Stadium: Cluj Arena |
Players
Current squad
The following players were called up for the friendly match against Portugal and Germany on 24 March 2023 and 28 March 2023.[4]
- Caps and goals as of 28 March 2023 after the match against Germany.
Recent call-ups
The following players have also been called up to the Romania under-21 squad and remain eligible:
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Szilard Gyenge | 11 February 2001 | 2 | 0 | Miercurea Ciuc |
v. Netherlands, 27 September 2022 |
| GK | Otto Hindrich | 2 August 2002 | 1 | 0 | Kisvárda FC |
v. Netherlands, 27 September 2022 |
| GK | Robert Popa | 5 March 2003 | 2 | 0 | FC U Craiova |
v. Netherlands, 27 September 2022 |
| GK | Raul Bălbărău | 7 April 2001 | 1 | 0 | Debrecen |
v. Slovakia, 7 June 2022 |
| GK | Răzvan Ducan | 9 February 2001 | 1 | 0 | FCSB |
v. Mexico, 9 October 2021 |
| GK | George Micle | 8 November 2001 | 0 | 0 | Argeș Pitești |
v. Denmark, 17 November 2020 |
| GK | Teodor Axinte | 2 February 2000 | 0 | 0 | Dante Botoșani |
v. Malta, 13 October 2020 |
| GK | Ionuț Rus | 20 January 2000 | 0 | 0 | Ripensia Timișoara |
v. Denmark, 10 September 2019 |
| DF | Rareș Ispas | 26 August 2000 | 2 | 0 | Sepsi OSK |
v. Netherlands, 27 September 2022 |
| DF | Andrei Coubiș | 29 September 2003 | 1 | 0 | Milan |
v. Netherlands, 27 September 2022 |
| DF | Radu Drăgușin | 3 February 2002 | 7 | 0 | Genoa |
v. Netherlands, 27 September 2022 |
| DF | Ricardo Farcaș | 24 June 2000 | 5 | 0 | Siena |
v. Slovakia, 7 June 2022 |
| DF | Tudor Telcean | 13 September 2001 | 4 | 0 | Universitatea Cluj |
v. Slovakia, 7 June 2022 |
| DF | Daniel Bîrzu | 28 May 2002 | 2 | 0 | Farul Constanța |
v. Slovakia, 7 June 2022 |
| DF | Alexandru Georgescu | 10 July 2001 | 1 | 0 | Farul Constanța |
v. Morocco, 29 March 2022 |
| DF | Marius Leca | 6 July 2000 | 1 | 0 | Afumați |
v. Morocco, 29 March 2022 |
| DF | Sorin Șerban | 17 April 2000 | 1 | 0 | FCSB |
v. Georgia, 7 September 2021 |
| MF | Damian Isac | 31 January 2001 | 3 | 0 | UTA Arad |
v. Netherlands, 27 September 2022 |
| MF | Octavian Popescu | 27 December 2002 | 6 | 0 | FCSB |
v. Netherlands, 27 September 2022 |
| MF | Antonio Sefer | 22 April 2000 | 4 | 0 | Rapid București |
v. Netherlands, 27 September 2022 |
| MF | George Cîmpanu | 8 October 2000 | 8 | 1 | Universitatea Craiova |
v. Slovakia, 7 June 2022 |
| MF | Andrei Mărginean | 3 July 2001 | 3 | 0 | Novara |
v. Slovakia, 7 June 2022 |
| MF | Marian Șerban | 7 July 2000 | 3 | 0 | Slatina |
v. Georgia, 7 September 2021 |
| MF | Daniel Toma | 22 April 2000 | 1 | 0 | Mioveni |
v. Mexico, 9 October 2021 |
| MF | Ovidiu Perianu | 16 April 2002 | 1 | 0 | Botoșani |
v. Georgia, 7 September 2021 |
| MF | Valentin Mihăilă | 2 February 2000 | 6 | 5 | Parma |
v. Malta, 8 September 2020 |
| FW | Louis Munteanu | 16 June 2002 | 3 | 0 | Farul Constanța |
v. Portugal, 24 March 2023 |
| FW | Ianis Stoica | 8 December 2002 | 8 | 1 | FCSB |
v. Slovakia, 7 June 2022 |
| FW | Cristian Dumitru | 13 December 2001 | 1 | 0 | Mioveni |
v. Georgia, 7 September 2021 |
| FW | Alexandru Stoica | 23 January 2000 | 0 | 0 | Voluntari |
v. Georgia, 7 September 2021 |
- Notes
- INJ = Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury
- SUS = Player is serving suspension
- WD = Player withdrew from the squad
- COV = Player withdrawn from the squad due to positive COVID-19 test
- Names in italics denote players that have been capped for the Senior team.
Coaching staff
- As of September 2020.[5]
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Florin Bratu |
| Assistant Coaches | Nicolae Grigore Adrian Boingiu |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Eugen Anghel |
| Fitness Coach | Silviu Ioniță |
| Video Analyst | Vlad Munteanu |
| Physioterapists | Adrian Mîrza Andrei Bogatan Mădălin Talpalaru Valentin Șerban Dragoș Paraschiv |
Footnotes
- Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, the match was played behind closed doors.
References
- "Romania vs. Netherlands" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
- "Hungary vs. Romania" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 27 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- "Germany vs. Romania" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 30 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- "Lotul României U21 pentru meciurile amicale cu Portugalia și Germania".
- "Mirel Rădoi şi-a completat staff-ul cu încă un antrenor secund". Digi Sport (in Romanian). 15 January 2020.
External links
- UEFA Under-21 website Contains full results archive
- The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation Contains full record of U-21/U-23 Championships.
- FRF.ro
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