Iordanescu hails Romania's 'generation of soul' after Ukraine win

MUNICH, Germany - Romania coach Edward Iordanescu beamed with pride as he gave his side credit for their tireless running in a comprehensive 3-0 win over Ukraine on Monday to get their Euro 2024 campaign off to a flying start.

Two strikes from distance by Nicolae Stanciu and Razvan Marin and a close-range effort from Denis Dragus gave Romania their second victory in 17 attempts at the European Championship in what was by far their most convincing performance.

"It's incredible what they did, I think I felt those feelings for the first time - I lost control of myself. Thank you for supporting us. Thank you for being with us," Iordanescu told reporters.

Asked if this was the victory of a lifetime, the 46-year-old coach declined to compare his side to previous generations, saying the current crop of players occupied a space all their own.

"This is the generation of the soul - this team has put the biggest effort into everything ... such a big heart and such a soul as this team has? No-one has ever had that. This has to be the generation of soul for Romania," he added.

Coming into the game as underdogs with only one victory in their previous 16 Euro games, the Romanians fought like tigers form the first minute to the last.

"These lads have done so much - they ran until they fell over and I had to take them off. It was an incredible effort, and apart from the quality and the talent, they were very united and gave their all, and I'm very proud of them," Iordanescu said.

Ahead of Belgium's clash with Slovakia later on Monday, Romania top Group E and they play the Belgians on Saturday. REUTERS