Sports Weekend
News from football and table tennis
Florin Orban, 06.09.2019, 13:45
Romania’s national football team on
Thursday lost 1-2 to Spain on home turf in a match counting towards the 2020
European Championship preliminaries. The Romanians had to defend in the first
half, with Ciprian Tatarusanu making a few remarkable saves, keeping the sheet
clean until minute 29, when Sergio Ramos scored the first goal for Spain from
penalty kick. Halftime statistics indicated that Spain had 8 shots on goal,
with none for Romania. On minute 47 Paco Alcacer made it 2-nil for Spain, sending
a superb cross from Alba into the back of the net. Florin Andone scored for
Romania on minute 5, with a superb header from the penalty box. The Romanian
footballers upped their game in the second half, trying to even the odds.
George Puscas missed two scoring opportunities in extra time, the Spanish
goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga denying the goal each time. In the other Group F
fixtures, Norway defeated Malta 2-nil, while Sweden trounced the Faeroe Islands
4-nil away from home. Spain ranks first with 15 points, followed by Sweden with
10 points, Norway with 8 points, Romania with 7 points, Malta with 3 points and
the Faeroe Islands with zero points. Romania will next play Malta on Sunday,
September 8, in Ploiesti.
The Romanian women’s table tennis
team on Thursday advanced to the quarterfinals of the European Table Tennis
Championships in Nantes, France, after defeating Spain 3-nil in the last Group
1 fixture. The defending champions prevailed through the individual wins of
Bernadette Szocs, Elizabeta Samara and Daniela Dodean Monteiro. After defeating
Slovakia on Wednesday 3-nil, Romania is now top of the Group tables with 4
points, followed by Spain with 3 points and Slovakia with 2 points. The
Romanian men’s table tennis team failed to move past the group phase, after
losing to Sweden nil-3 on Thursday in the last Group 2 fixture. Sweden ranked
first with 4 points, followed by Romania with 3 points and Hungary with 2
points.
(Translated
by V. Palcu)
