International Friendly: Romania vs Greece player ratings as greece get a comfortable 1-0 victory
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Romania vs Greece: Manager Gus Poyet’s Greek reign started off on a high as his side did well to beat a Romanian side in high spirits. Both teams got off to strong starts, trading blows in the initial 15-20 minutes.
Greece’s disallowed goal gave them the upper hand, following which they got a goal and this time it counted. It was a rather pale game of football, with very few clear cut chances as neither team were at full strength. Greece saw the game out and clinched their second ever victory on Romanian soil.
Romania vs Greece player ratings
Romania:
1. Florin Nițã (8/10): Made five routine saves, and was particularly busy when Greece’s counter-attacks came thick and fast. He was lucky to get away with the disallowed goal which came off a shot he initially parried away but could only watch when Andreas Bouchalakis’ header eventually flew in.
2. Andrei Rațiu (6.5/10): Incredibly patient on the ball, vigilant off it and positionally Conservative. Romania were generally vary of Greece’s threat down that flank and Raţiu was very capable at playing an old fashioned full back role.
6. Vlad Chiricheş (6.25/10): Romania built out of the back quite well. Quite obviously, they had to have had two very confident centre back’s, technically able on the ball for that. Although defensively, Chiricheş was well beaten on a couple of 1v1s.
17. Adrian Rus (6.75/10): Rus is the less experienced of the two central defenders and saw a lot more of the ball at his feet, particularly in being tasked with playing left back Camora through. He was brave in going for aerial duels and won a header from an attacking set piece in the second half. Very decent game.
22. Mário Camora (6/10): The full back was constantly up and down the field, working hard to keep Romania’s flank play far more effective in the final third. He managed just 75 minutes though. Fairly confident but not his best game in Romanian colours.
18. Răzvan Marin (7.25/10): Provided his forwards with loads of cover from defensive midfield and took up more advanced positions as the game went on, especially after Mihaila’s introduction. He was on set piece duty too and his side came close to finding an equaliser from some of his crosses.
23. Mihai Bordeianu (6.25/10): He was the more defence-minded of the two midfielders. Operated mostly in the central zones unlike Marin who started high and wide on occasion.
20. Alexandru Miriță (7.5/10): The winger switched flanks in the first half and was constantly trying to find space in behind Greece’s full backs. None of his crosses came close to reaching one of his colleagues though. Great display.
8. Alexandru Cicâldău (6.5/10): He was all over the place, sometimes acting as a third midfielder and a fourth forward on other occasions. He rarely pressed the Greek midfielders and completed the full 90 minutes with just a few moments of brilliance to look back at, with none really making the difference.
10. Alexandru Maxim (7/10): The Romanian winger was well dealt with. His runs were a threat especially in the second period, where Romania played with a lot more flow to their game on the flanks. He had a chance to score in either half but couldn’t find a goal.
9. George Puşcaş (6.5/10): Romania’s main man up top didn’t give his side much of an edge in the final third. His runs were rarely of good conviction, he didn’t connect well with the players who flanked him and couldn’t convert the chances that did fall at his feet.
Substitutes:
4. Radu Drăguşin (N/A):
3. Alin Toşca (N/A):
11. Andrei Ivan (7.5/10): The young winger added flair, width and mobility to a tired team. His dribbles on the far right will not have gone unnoticed. A couple good chances came from his witty plays but none fell at his feet.
13. Valentin Mihăilă (6.5/10):
19. Florin Tănase (5.75/10):
Greece:
1. Odysseas Vlachodimos (6/10): His goal remained undisturbed. He was forced into just one save, and had to punch away a few set pieces in the second period. For all the possession they bossed, Romania couldn’t test the Greek keeper as much as they would’ve liked to.
14. Lazaros Rota (7/10): The right back did relatively well on what was just his second appearance for the national team. Romania’s wingers never chose to outnumber the area Rota was positioned in. In the final third, his touches were few and far between.
22. Konstantinos Mavropanos (8/10): Highly influential, exemplary defending from the 24 year old defender. His alertness kept George Puscas in the shackles and some of his clearances saved Greece the trouble of defending in their own penalty area.
17. Pantelis Hatzidiakos (7/10): Did all the standard stuff really. Held his position, headed the ball into oblivion from defensive corners and made crucial interventions to prevent opposition attacks from further developing. Solid 7.
21. Konstantinos Tsimikas (7.25/10): The Liverpool full back menacingly treaded forward everytime he had the chance to. His involvement only means good thing for a side like Greece who are great at both, keeping the ball and playing on the break.
20. Petros Mantalos (7.75/10): He’s been deployed in a variety of positions for club and Country in the past, but the centre of midfield might be his most favourable area on the pitch. He picked up a yellow card and played a fair part in the move that built to his side’s goal.
23. Manolis Siopis (7.75/10): The 27 year old Trabzonspor man is a well rounded midfield General. Not the most physically competent but very useful at recovering and retaining possession, as was the case for the visitors tonight.
5. Andreas Bouchalakis (7.5/10): Bouchalakis’ winner capped off a delightful night but he still wasn’t the best of the three midfield players Gus Poyet fielded on the night. He guided his header pretty well and with conviction.
18. Dimitris Limnios (6.75/10): The early stages of the game showed plenty of promise for Dimitris Limnios but he didn’t follow that up with much. His runs into space and back into his own half were moderately useful in preserving the lead.
7. Giorgios Giakoumakis (7.5/10): The celtic striker saw out a fine game and was replaced by Vangelis Pavlidis after 72 minutes had gone by.
10. Dimitrios Pelkas (7/10): Fenerbahçe’s Greek player isn’t a natural winger, but he performed valiantly tonight, with a well deserved 7. One would often find him cutting into central spaces, looking for one of his fellow attackers to lead into a forward run.
Substitutes:
16. Vangelis Pavlidis (6.25/10): Replaced a tired Giakoumakis but was unable to make an impact.
19. Anastasios Douvikas (6/10): Earned about 33 minutes off the bench and was gifted with a good chance to double his team’s lead.
11. Anastasios Bakasetas (5.5/10): Bakasetas was poor. Didn’t have the pace or physicality to match Camora in the build up.
8. Sotiris Alexandropoulos (N/A):
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Aditi Srinivas
(657 Articles Published)