The coach of Romania's Under-19 national football team, Ion Marin, said on Friday that he sees the side he leads reaching the semi-finals of the 2025 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, which will take place in Romania, June 13-26.
"Of course there will be nerves. But we will try to cope, even if it is their first final tournament in which they participate. We have high hopes for this European Championships, because the kids are very talented and in the last year they proved that they can cope with the great football powers of Europe. I can see Romania playing in the European Championships semi-finals, and from there we will see what will happen," he said, according to Agerpres.
"I've raised the bar because I worked with them, because I have known them for so long, because they have shown me in the last year that they can beat Germany for example or that they can lead Spain to a draw... So there are children who have shown us that we can rely on them. We have to believe in them, and I believe in them. Spain are nine-time U19 European champions, but that will not be a problem. I understand that they have announced their squad, that they have players from Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona, but we also have our children and even if they are from Ungheni, they are good. Romania's asset is the team. This generation was ready to play with two strikers and I hope everyone likes it and we have good results, which will take us to the semi-final we dream of," added the coach.
Marin called on the supporters to come in large numbers to the national matches to support them.
"It's an advantage that we play at home, and I want to call on the big supporters' groups from Bucharest and beyond, to get mobilised themselves and give a hand to these children. I can assure the supporters that these boys deserve to be supported," Marin said.
At the U19 European Football Championship, hosted by Romania between June 13-26, the Romanian national team will play in Group A, along with Denmark, Spain and Montenegro.
In Group B will play the sides of Germany, Norway, England and the Netherlands.
The top two finishers in each group will qualify for the semi-finals.
The Romanian team advanced directly to the final tournament. Last time Romania competed in an Under-19 final tournament was in 2022, when they lost all three matches.
Romania previously hosted the final tournament of the competition in 2011, when it finished last in Group A, after a draw (0-0 against Ireland) and two defeats (1-3 against the Czech Republic, the future finalist, and 0-1 against Greece). Spain won the competition.
Initially, Romania was to host the final tournament in 2021, but the competition was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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