The Balkan Cup was an international association football competition contested on and off from 1929 to 1980 by countries from the Balkans region. The most successful team was Romania with four titles.
132-520: The first edition featured Romania , Greece , Yugoslavia and Bulgaria and was played over three years from 1929 to 1931. All teams played each other twice, home and away, and were awarded 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw, with final ranking table determining the winner. Romania won the first title with a game in hand after beating Yugoslavia 4–2. In the following tournaments the system saw significant changes, with teams playing each other only once, and instead of taking three years to complete it
264-448: A Christophe Dugarry header reminiscent of Kennet Andersson 's two years earlier, beating the goalkeeper to a lofted through ball. An early goal from Bulgaria striker Hristo Stoichkov at St James' Park put Romania on the back foot in Euro 1996, but Dorinel Munteanu appeared to have kept Romania in the match – and in the tournament – with a thunderbolt that hit the bar, bounced over
396-683: A Marius Niculae goal – after the first leg in Ljubljana was not irretrievable. With fan hero Gheorghe Hagi now coaching the side, they were confident of getting the win they needed in Bucharest against the Balkan upstarts, but Slovenia took the lead before the hour through Mladen Rudonja . Right wing-back Cosmin Contra quickly equalized but Romania could not find the goal they needed to force extra time and Slovenia, with maverick manager Srečko Katanec , were in
528-508: A penalty shoot-out in the quarter-finals. At the European Championships , Romania's best performance was in 2000 when they advanced to the quarter-finals from a group with Germany , Portugal , and England , before falling to eventual runners-up Italy . They also reached the last eight in 1960 , 1972 and 1984 , and have qualified for a total of six tournaments. The Romanian Football Federation ( Federația Română de Fotbal )
660-552: A 3–1 loss in Greece and a 1–1 home draw ended its run. For the qualifying stage of the Euro 2016 Romania was drawn into Group F along with Greece, Hungary, Finland, Northern Ireland and the Faroe Islands. Romania began its first successful qualification campaign since 2008 with a win over Greece before following up with a 1–1 draw with Pot 2 team Hungary and a 2–0 win over Finland. Despite
792-657: A Belgian selection and a Dutch team made up of players from third-level sides led by ex-footballer Cees van Hasselt contested the Coupe Vanden Abeele . Naturally, the hosts had little trouble claiming the cup, defeating the Netherlands by 8–0. Belgium then beat the Netherlands in all three follow-up matches; FIFA does not recognize these results because Belgium fielded some English players, such as Herbert Potts , who scored 12 of "Belgium's" 17 goals. On 1 May 1904,
924-525: A Belgian sporting event occurred on 3 May 1931, when journalist Gust De Muynck commentated on the football match between Belgium and the Netherlands on radio. Later, football broadcasts were also televised. As 60 per cent of Belgians speak Dutch and 40 per cent French, commentaries for the national team matches are provided in both languages. The matches are not broadcast in German—Belgium's third official language. During Belgium's tournament appearances in
1056-554: A dismal goalless draw. Romania were again beaten by Spain for a place in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. After a 1–0 win in Bucharest, Romania lost a match at home to Yugoslavia 6–4 having led 3–2 at half time. Spain won 1–0 in Belgrade to seal passage to Argentina. Romania's sole successful qualifying campaign between 1970 and 1990 was for the European Championships in 1984 in France. At
1188-633: A fine chip in their first match against Colombia at Lyon 's Stade Gerland . In Toulouse, they met an England side starting with prodigal striker Michael Owen on the bench, with Teddy Sheringham preferred alongside Alan Shearer . A mistake by Tony Adams was punished by Viorel Moldovan , who played for Coventry City , before Owen came on to claim an equalizer. But Romania won with a wonderful late goal from Dan Petrescu, also playing in England with Chelsea , fighting off his club teammate Graeme le Saux and nutmegging goalkeeper David Seaman . The next match
1320-470: A first tifo banner, sized 10.5 by 11.5 metres (34 by 38 ft) depicting a devil in the national colours. The presence of many Belgian players in top leagues abroad, such as the Premier League , and promising results under Marc Wilmots, increased fans' enthusiasm and belief in a successful World Cup campaign. Because of this popularity peak, two Belgian monuments were decorated in national colours for
1452-644: A four-match winning streak. Belgium qualified for UEFA Euro 2016 with a match to spare in October 2015, and took the top spot in the FIFA World Ranking for the first time in November 2015, to stay first for five months. In the following year, Belgium could not confirm their role as outsider at the European Championship with a quarter-finals elimination by the 26th FIFA-ranked Welsh team . This prompted
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#17328527454841584-554: A free kick, Dimitri Payet shot hard from outside the box and scored France's second goal, crushing Romania's dream of a perfect start in the Euros. In the second match, Romania faced Switzerland , in a match that began with the Swiss side dominating. In the 17th minute, Alexandru Chipciu was fouled in the box, the second penalty of the tournament being accorded again to Romania. The same Bogdan Stancu went on and scored, giving an advantage for
1716-675: A goalless draw in the match against Hungary in Budapest , however, the team fell back on the second place, one point behind Northern Ireland and three above Hungary, still placed third. Following a 1–1 draw clinched in overtime at home against Finland, Romania secured their spot at the final tournament in the last game after a confident 3–0 win in the Faroe Islands. Romania finished the qualification group second, one point behind group winners Northern Ireland, completing their first successful qualification campaign in eight years undefeated after five wins and five draws. With only two goals conceded, Romania had
1848-527: A handball by Vagiz Khidiatullin that television replays clearly showed to be some way outside the penalty area . Romania lost to Cameroon next; cult hero Roger Milla , aged 38, came on as a substitute for Emmanuel Maboang Kessack and scored twice before Gavril Balint pulled one back. Romania needed a point in their last match against improving Argentina at the San Paolo in Naples ; Pedro Monzón gave Argentina
1980-535: A late Michael Owen goal after he rounded goalkeeper Bogdan Stelea to score a tap-in, both in the last five minutes of the half. Romania attacked after the break and were quickly rewarded; Dorinel Munteanu punishing a poor punch from Nigel Martyn , a late replacement for injured goalkeeper David Seaman , to equalize three minutes after the restart. England cracked under the pressure. Unable to retain possession or pose an attacking threat, they fell deep and late on Phil Neville , playing out of position at left-back, conceded
2112-495: A late equalizer. It did them little good, however, as in the round of 16 match at Bordeaux against Croatia, Davor Šuker scored a twice-taken penalty to eliminate Romania. Romania had a strong qualifying campaign, winning a tough Group 7 with Portugal, Slovakia , Hungary , Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein . The Romanians impressed, never losing and winning seven times, including a big upset in Porto after defeating Portugal thanks to
2244-691: A late goal scored by Dorinel Munteanu. In Bucharest, the score finished 1–1. At Euro 2000 , held in Belgium and the Netherlands, Romania were drawn against 1996 champions Germany, semi-finalists England and Portugal. The chances for the Romanians to qualify through quarter-finals were seen as slim. Romania, however, started brightly against the Germans in Liège , with Viorel Moldovan scoring from close range. A long-range Mehmet Scholl equalizer meant they had to be content with
2376-588: A late third . In Detroit 's indoor Pontiac Silverdome , the temperature soared due to the greenhouse effect in the indoor arena . Switzerland , acclimatized after having already played the hosts there, outran Romania in the second half and turned a 1–1 half time score into a 4–1 win. Romania responded by beating the hosts 1–0 in Pasadena with an early Dan Petrescu goal . In the Round of 16 knockout stage they faced Argentina, minus Diego Maradona who had been thrown out of
2508-509: A major tournament again. Romania were confident of qualifying for the tournament, drawn in Group 2 with seeds Denmark, Norway , Bosnia and Herzegovina and minnows Luxembourg , with Anghel Iordănescu back as coach. Despite a good start – a 3–0 win away to Bosnia in Sarajevo – Romania stuttered. Steffen Iversen 's late goal gave Norway a surprise win in Bucharest and they were stunned at home by
2640-442: A match at the 1998 World Cup, Georges Leekens chose a 4–3–3 arrangement for Belgium's second and third group matches. Robert Waseige, Belgium coach around 2000, said that "above all, [his] 4–4–2 system [was] holy", in the sense that he left good attackers on the bench to keep his favourite formation. Wilmots opted for the 4–3–3 line-up again, with the intention of showing dominant football against any country. On 8 November 2024,
2772-702: A mediocre 1-1 draw against Montenegro in Cluj-Napoca , followed by a thrashing 5-0 victory in Yerevan against Armenia before another mediocre draw in Astana against Kazakhstan, a 0-3 defeat in Bucharest and a 1-3 defeat in Warsaw against Poland, a lacklustre 0-0 draw against Denmark in Cluj-Napoca and a lucky victory in the last minutes against Armenia in Bucharest. With only nine points after seven fixtures, Romania had to win against
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#17328527454842904-614: A must-win last match in Sofia against Bulgaria , with Nasko Sirakov 's equalizer sealing their fate . Romania was successful, however, in reaching another World Cup in the United States in 1994. After losing in Belgium and suffering a heavy 5–2 defeat in Czechoslovakia, Romania went into their last match at Cardiff Arms Park with Wales needing a win to pip them to a place in the finals. Goals from Gheorghe Hagi and Dean Saunders meant
3036-677: A narrow victory in Romania's first match at the Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara in what was a very physical game. Chances were improved with a 2–1 win over the Czechs. After going behind early to a Ladislav Petráš goal, Romania turned it around after half-time with Alexandru Neagu and Florea Dumitrache scoring to give them two vital points. Even then, only a win over the Brazilians would take them into
3168-475: A penalty scored by Ioan Ganea in the 89th minute. Romania's relief was tempered by tough opposition in the last eight, and Italy, who would end up seconds from being crowned European champions in an agonizing final, comfortably saw them off 2–0 in Brussels . Francesco Totti and Filippo Inzaghi scoring towards the end of the first half. In the 35th minute, Gheorghe Hagi, in his final international tournament, hit
3300-479: A point and their position looked shaky after Costinha headed a last minute winner for Portugal in their second match. Emerich Jenei , back as coach, threw caution to the wind in the last match in Charleroi against England, a must-win match for Romania. Defender Cristian Chivu 's cross went in off the post in the 22nd minute, but despite Romania dominating, England led at half-time through an Alan Shearer penalty and
3432-615: A predictable 4–1 win in Albania , Romania were out, despite a huge 9–0 win over Finland in Bucharest. Romania continued to suffer poor form in the UEFA European Championship . In their qualifying group for the 1976 European Football Championship , they were out-qualified by Spain despite an impressive 1–1 draw in the away match. Romania failed to win matches, drawing twice with Scotland and Spain and dropping points in Denmark with
3564-513: A repeat of their first international. At the finals, Romania played only one game in a new knock-out format, losing 2–1 to Czechoslovakia in Trieste , Italy, with Ștefan Dobay scoring their only goal of the tournament. Romania qualified by default for the 1938 World Cup after their qualifying playoff opponents Egypt withdrew. They suffered a shock defeat in the finals in France, losing to minnows Cuba , who, like Romania, had only qualified due to
3696-490: A sad note. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar , Belgium were drawn into Group F alongside Croatia , Morocco and Canada . Despite starting their campaign well with a 1–0 victory over Canada, they then suffered a shock 2–0 defeat to Morocco, and following a 0–0 draw with Croatia in their final group game, Belgium were knocked out of the tournament at the group stages for the first time since 1998 . Following their elimination from
3828-483: A second-place finish at Euro 1980, the 1980s and the early 1990s are generally considered as Belgium's first golden age. Coached by Guy Thys , they achieved their spot in the 1980 final with an unbeaten record in the group phase; in the final, they narrowly lost the title to West Germany with the score 1–2. Starting with the 1982 World Cup , and ending with the 2002 World Cup , the national team qualified for six consecutive World Cup end stages and mostly progressed to
3960-403: A suspicious offside position not seen by referee Kyros Vassaras . On 17 October 2007, Romania became the fourth team to qualify for Euro 2008 , the nation's first international tournament since Euro 2000. Coincidentally, Victor Pițurcă also led Romania to qualification for Euro 2000, only to sit back and let Emerich Jenei coach the team in the final tournament; this time, however, he stayed in
4092-581: A third on the counterattack, with Hagi beating goalkeeper Luis Islas . Abel Balbo pulled one back, but Romania held on for a shock win . Romania would suffer penalty heartbreak again in the quarter-final against Sweden in San Francisco . With just 13 minutes to play, a tight match opened up as Sweden's Tomas Brolin scored from a clever free-kick move, the ball passed outside the Romanian wall by Håkan Mild for Brolin to smash in . Iordănescu threw caution to
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4224-407: A video clip made by organisation Kick It Out . After a 1905 match, a Dutch reporter wrote that three Belgian footballers "work[ed] as devils". A year later Léopold FC manager Pierre Walckiers nicknamed the players Red Devils, inspired by their jersey colour, and the achievement of three successive victories in 1906. Because of their white home shirts in the 1970s, they were temporarily known as
4356-629: A year against the Netherlands beginning from 1905 onwards, generally once in Antwerp and once in Rotterdam . From these beginnings until 1925, Belgian-Dutch cup trophies would be awarded in the " Low Countries derby ". In 1906, the national team players received the nickname Red Devils because of their red jerseys, and four years later, Scottish ex-footballer William Maxwell replaced the UBSSA committee as their manager. From 1912, UBSSA governed football only and
4488-444: Is Ljubomir Angelov , both at the 1935 Balkan Cup , in which he was the top goal scorer with those 6 goals. The record for the most goals scored in a single Balkan Cup game is 5, which has been achieved once: by Rudolf Wetzer when he scored 5 for Romania in a 8-1 win over Greece. Romania also holds the record for most hat-tricks scored with 5, being closely followed by Hungary and Yugoslavia with 4 each. Bulgaria and Greece jointly hold
4620-462: Is 12 wins, and their highest unbeaten record is 23 consecutive official matches. The following is a list of match results in the last twelve months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled. Win Draw Loss Fixture Source: Since 1904, the RBFA, 25 permanent managers and two caretaker managers have officially been in charge of
4752-570: Is known as the Low Countries derby , as of May 2018 they have played each other in 126 official matches. Belgium won the first four—unofficial—matches against the Netherlands, but lost their first FIFA-recognised contest. The two national teams played each other biannually between 1905 and 1964, except during the World Wars. They have met 18 times in major tournament campaigns, and have played at least 35 friendly cup matches : in Belgium for
4884-602: Is nicknamed le Match Sympathique in French ("the Friendly Match"); they have contested 74 official matches as of September 2020 . The first match between Belgium and France, the Évence Coppée Trophy played in 1904, was the first official match for both teams and the first official football match between independent countries on the European continent. Until 1967, the sides met almost annually. As of September 2020, Belgium have
5016-443: Is one of only four national teams from Europe—the other three being Belgium , France , and Yugoslavia —that took part in the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930 . Including that participation, Romania has qualified for seven World Cup editions, the latest in 1998 . The national team's finest hour came in 1994 , when led by playmaker Gheorghe Hagi it defeated Argentina 3–2 in the round of 16, before being eliminated by Sweden on
5148-617: Is under the global jurisdiction of FIFA and is governed in Europe by UEFA —both of which were co-founded by the Belgian team's supervising body, the Royal Belgian Football Association . Periods of regular Belgian representation at the highest international level, from 1920 to 1938, from 1980 to 2002 and again from 2014 onwards, have alternated with mostly unsuccessful qualification rounds. Most of Belgium's home matches are played at
5280-506: The 1986 FIFA World Cup . In the second, under guidance of Marc Wilmots and later Roberto Martínez in the 2010s, Belgium topped the FIFA World Ranking for the first time in November 2015 and finished third at the 2018 FIFA World Cup . To date, Belgium is the only national team in the world to top the FIFA ranking without having won a World Cup or a continental trophy. Belgium was one of
5412-780: The 2007 European U-21 Championship ; Belgium's squad qualified for the following year's Summer Olympic in Beijing , where the Young Red Devils squad finished fourth. Seventeen of them appeared in the senior national team, albeit without making an immediate impact. Belgium finished in second (and last) place at the Kirin Cup in May 2009 , and lost against the 125th FIFA-ranked Armenian team in September 2009. After Georges Leekens ' second stint as national manager, his assistant Marc Wilmots became
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5544-558: The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying round with the Netherlands, Turkey , Hungary, Estonia and Andorra. They made an impressive start with a 2–0 away win in Estonia followed by a 4–0 win at home against modest Andorra and another away win in Turkey (1–0). After that, Romania were defeated by the Netherlands, both at home and away, and managed to secure only a draw in Hungary, in between. Romania started
5676-551: The Coupe Vanden Abeele , and in the Netherlands for the Rotterdamsch Nieuwsblad-Beker . The overall balance favours the Netherlands, with 55 wins against 41 Belgian victories. The Low Countries' squads co-operated in fundraising initiatives between 1925 and 1941; they played five unofficial matches for charity, FIFA and the Belgian Olympic Committee. The clash between the Belgian and French sides
5808-770: The King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels. Belgium's national team have participated in three quadrennial major football competitions. It appeared in the end stages of fourteen FIFA World Cups and six UEFA European Championships , and featured at three Olympic football tournaments, including the 1920 Summer Olympic which they won. Other notable performances are victories over four reigning world champions —West Germany, Brazil, Argentina and France—between 1954 and 2002. Belgium has long-standing football rivalries with its Dutch and French counterparts, having played both teams nearly every year from 1905 to 1967. The squad has been known as
5940-621: The Pasadena Rose Bowl in Los Angeles (all but one of Romania's games took place in California , and they were awarded the advantage of playing most of their games in LA). Răducioiu opened the scoring before Hagi scored a spectacular second from wide on the left touchline . Adolfo Valencia pulled one back with a headed goal just before half-time, but Romania held on and Răducioiu sealed the win with
6072-510: The offside trap , a defensive tactic that was already intensively applied in the 1960s by Anderlecht coach Pierre Sinibaldi . According to football journalist Wim De Bock, "master tactician" Goethals represented the "conservative, defensive football of the Belgian national team"; he added that in the 1970s, the contrast between the Belgian playing style and the Total Football of their Dutch rivals "could not be bigger". In an attempt to win
6204-475: The 12 editions of the tournament. The first hat-trick was scored by Rudolf Wetzer of Romania , playing against Greece on 25 May 1930; and the last was by Anghel Iordănescu 50 years later, on 27 August 1980, when he netted a hat-trick for Romania in the second leg of the 1977–80 final in a 4-1 win over Yugoslavia . The record number of hat-tricks in a single Balkan Cup is four, during the inaugural edition. The only player to have scored more than one hat-trick
6336-462: The 1950s and the 1960s: the 1954 World Cup . The day before the tournament began, the RBFA was among the three UEFA founders. Dutch journalists considered the draw of the 1954 Belgian team in their opener against England to be the most surprising result of that match day, even more than Switzerland 's victory over the Italian "football stars". However, Belgium were eliminated after a loss to Italy in
6468-633: The 1980s and the early 1990s, Rik De Saedeleer crowned himself the nation's most famous football commentator with his emotional and humorous reports. Initially the matches were transmitted mainly on public television channels: the former BRTN (now VRT ) in Dutch, and the RTBF in French. Since 1994, commercial channels such as vtm and its sister channel Kanaal 2 , and VIER in Flanders , have purchased broadcasting rights. The Euro 2016 round-of-16 match against Hungary
6600-502: The 2014 FIFA World Cup event; the Manneken Pis statue received a child-sized version of the new Belgian uniform, and facets of the Atomium 's upper sphere were covered in black, yellow and red vinyl. Belgium's main football rivals are its neighbors the Netherlands and France , with which it shares close cultural and political relations. The matchup between the Belgian and Dutch team
6732-535: The Belgian footballing nation "mortally ill". Of the fans that kept supporting their squad in bad times, Ludo Rollenberg was one of the most loyal. He attended the team's matches worldwide since 1990, missing only the 1999 Japanese Kirin Cup and two other matches by 2006, and was the only supporter to attend their matches in Armenia in 2009. Just before the kick-off of a 2014 World Cup home qualifier, Belgium's footballers saw
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#17328527454846864-533: The Belgian national team's first ever Fan Day attracted over 20,000 supporters; a second was held after the 2014 World Cup. On the days of Belgium's 2014 World Cup group matches, large dance events titled Dance with the Devils took place in three Belgian cities. This type of happening was repeated during Belgium's Euro 2016 group matches. Occasionally, the Belgian team directly supported charity. Between 1914 and 1941 they played at least five unofficial matches of which
6996-581: The Belgians played their first official match, against France at the Stade du Vivier d'Oie in Uccle; their draw left the Évence Coppée Trophy unclaimed. Twenty days later, the football boards of both countries were among the seven FIFA founders. At that time, the Belgian squad was chosen by a committee chaired by Édouard de Laveleye , who usually drew from the country's six or seven major clubs. Belgium would play twice
7128-423: The Czechs. Despite a record of eight wins, three losses and one draw, they finished third behind the Dutch and the Czechs and missed out on another major tournament. Romania were drawn in a group with the Netherlands again, along with Bulgaria for Euro 2008 qualifying . Romania, however, performed well, losing only away against Bulgaria and beating the Netherlands 1–0 at home with a goal scored by Dorin Goian from
7260-411: The Danes got a point in Bosnia to scrape through a tight group, with Norway going to a play-off with Spain. Romania were drawn with the Netherlands and the Czech Republic , who were ranked first and second in Europe respectively in 2006 World Cup qualification . Early wins over Finland and Macedonia were unconvincing, and they were behind the two leaders by the time they earned a 2–0 home win over
7392-414: The Danes, 5–2, with Thomas Gravesen scoring a spectacular goal from around 50 yards out, after leading twice. They recovered slightly, completing a double over the Bosnians and earning a point in Oslo , but conceded a cutting injury time equalizer in Denmark to draw 2–2. It was decisive, as they now required Norway to fail to win at home to Luxembourg to stand any realistic chance of qualifying. Eventually,
7524-408: The RBFA to dismiss Wilmots. In the 2018 World Cup qualifying allocation, they were seeded first in their group, and made the final tournament under Spanish manager Roberto Martínez , becoming the first European team besides hosts Russia to do so. Belgium was eliminated in the semi-finals by eventual champions France, but won the third place play-off against England . On 16 November 2019, for
7656-448: The Red Devils since 1906; its fan club is named "1895". During the national player career of forward Paul Van Himst , the most-praised Belgian footballer of the 20th century, Belgium finished in third place as hosts at UEFA Euro 1972 . After that, they experienced two golden ages with many gifted players. In the first period, which lasted from the 1980s to the early 1990s, the team finished as runners-up at UEFA Euro 1980 and fourth in
7788-406: The Red Devils were aligned in a contemporary 2–3–5 "pyramid" . In 1954, Doug Livingstone 's squad played in a 3–2–5 "WM" arrangement during World Cup matches. Throughout most of their tournament matches in the 1970s, the 1980s and the 1990s, the team played in a 4–4–2 formation . Since Raymond Goethals' stint in the 1970s, a key strength of the Belgian squad has been their systematic use of
7920-513: The Romanian side, but Armando Sadiku 's header in the 43rd minute went past Ciprian Tătărușanu , giving Albania the lead and their first ever goal in a tournament. The despondent Romanian side failed to score in this match, with Florin Andone striking the post in the 76th minute. The negative score meant that Romania ended on the last place of the group, ending their Euro dream with no victory and after one draw, two defeats, two goals scored (both from penalties) and four conceded, with only one point,
8052-422: The Romanian side. Just after Switzerland almost scored an own goal, Admir Mehmedi scored for an equalizer in the 57th minute. The match eventually finished in a 1–1 draw. With one point accumulated and on the third place in the group before the final match, Romania needed a victory against Albania in order to be among the first four best-third-placed teams and to qualify further in Euro. The match began good for
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#17328527454848184-434: The White Devils. Since 2012, the team logo is a red trident (or three-pronged pitchfork), an item that is often associated with the devil. Apart from that, the national squad has also had four official anthropomorphous mascots. The first was a lion in team kit named Diabolix, a reference to the central symbol in the Belgian coat of arms that appeared on the team jerseys from 1905 to 1980. In accordance with their epithet,
8316-416: The World Cup semi-finalists appeared on the balcony of Brussels Town Hall , the adjoining Grand Place square was filled with an ecstatic crowd that cheered as though their squad had won a major tournament. The team's deterioration after the 2002 World Cup lead to their absence from the end stages of the next five major tournament, and strained their popularity. Between 2004 and 2010, local journalists called
8448-416: The best defence in the qualifiers. Romania advanced to Euro 2016 , where they were drawn in Group A , being named to play the opening match against the hosts France . The match began better for the Romanian side, who almost scored the first goal of the tournament in the fourth minute, after Bogdan Stancu tricked the French defence at a corner kick executed by his co-national Nicușor Stanciu and his shot
8580-433: The better record, with 30 wins to France's 25, and France has played most often against Belgium in international football. Numerous former and current venues in 11 urban areas have hosted Belgium's home matches. Most of these matches have been played in Brussels on the Heysel Plateau , on the site of the present-day King Baudouin Stadium —a multipurpose facility with a seating capacity of 50,122. Its field also hosts
8712-422: The caretaker in May 2012. After two matches as interim coach, Wilmots agreed to replace Leekens as manager. Following his appointment, the team's results improved, such that some foreign media regarded it as another Belgian golden generation. The young Belgian squad qualified as unbeaten group winners for the 2014 World Cup final, and earned Belgium's second-ever place in a World Cup quarter-finals with
8844-453: The complete official match record of the Belgian national team comprises 847 matches : 374 wins, 178 draws and 295 losses. During these matches, the team scored 1,516 times and conceded 1,315 goals. Belgium's highest winning margin is nine goals, which has been achieved on four occasions: against Zambia in 1994 (9–0), twice against San Marino in 2001 (10–1) and 2019 (9–0), and against Gibraltar in 2017 (9–0). Their longest winning streak
8976-461: The consolation match against Hungary. In 1973, the denial of a match-winning goal in their last 1974 FIFA World Cup qualification match for UEFA Group 3 cost Belgium their appearance at the final, causing Belgium to become the only nation ever to miss a World Cup final round despite not allowing a goal during the qualifiers. The next two attempts to reach a major final ( Euro 1976 and the 1978 FIFA World Cup ) were also fruitless. Beginning with
9108-419: The disaster, plans were unveiled for a renovation; in 1995, after two years of work, the modernised stadium was named after the late King Baudouin . In May 2013, the Brussels-Capital Region announced that the King Baudouin Stadium would be replaced by Eurostadium , elsewhere on the Heysel Plateau; in 2018, however, the plans for the new stadium were cancelled definitively. As of 14 November 2024 ,
9240-412: The early 1970s, under manager Raymond Goethals . Fully dressed in white, as the White Devils, Belgium had their first victories at World and European Championship at the 1970 World Cup and Euro 1972. En route to that Euro appearance, their first, they eliminated reigning European champions Italy by winning the two-legged quarter-final on aggregate . At the end stage, they finished third by winning
9372-439: The end of the decade saw them qualify for their fifth World Cup in 1990 . A win over Denmark in their last match took Emerich Jenei 's side to the finals for the first time in 20 years. With an increasing trend for big clubs in Italy and Spain buying up the best foreign talent , Romania's squad was entirely domestic-based. Midfielder Ilie Dumitrescu , striker Florin Răducioiu and genius playmaker Gheorghe Hagi , were in
9504-435: The expansions, the 1947 and 1948 tournaments were officially renamed Balkan and Central European Championship . The competition was not played again until 1973 when a round robin group system was replaced by a knockout system with semi-finals and finals, played over three years. This time only four countries took part – Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece. Bulgaria won the final on away goals against Romania in 1976. In 1977
9636-491: The fans during the squad's peak popularity in the 2010s. During the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, a string of interactive events called the Devil Challenges were organised. The premise was that small groups of international players would do a favour in return for each of the five comprehensive chores their supporters completed ("colour Belgium red", "gather 500,000 decibels", etc.), all of which were accomplished. In June 2013,
9768-521: The final game of the group, which meant that Italy joined the Netherlands in the quarter-finals and Romania finished third, ahead of France. Romania were drawn into the UEFA qualifying round for the 2010 World Cup alongside France, Serbia , Austria , Lithuania and the Faroe Islands . Although Romania were seeded in the second pot, they eventually finished fifth, above only the Faroe Islands. Their campaign
9900-555: The finals, Romania were drawn with Spain, holders West Germany and Portugal. Under head coach Mircea Lucescu , an encouraging opening game in Saint-Étienne saw them draw with the Spanish. Francisco José Carrasco opened the scoring from the penalty spot but Romania equalized before half-time with a goal from Laszlo Bölöni . Against the Germans in Lens , Marcel Coraș scored an equalizer in
10032-436: The first mainland European countries to play association football, with the earliest recorded example of its practice in Belgium dating back to 1863. On 11 October 1900, Beerschot AC honorary president Jorge Díaz announced that Antwerp would host a series of challenge matches between Europe's best football teams. After some organisational problems, on 28 April 1901, Beerschot's pitch hosted its first tournament , in which
10164-540: The first minute of the second half in response to Rudi Völler 's opener, but Völler would score a winning goal. Their last match in Nantes was a must-win match, but Nené 's late winner meant Portugal progressed with Spain, who netted a dramatic late winner against West Germany at the Parc des Princes in Paris . Romania stuttered throughout the rest of the decade, but a stronger squad at
10296-487: The first three FIFA World Cup tournaments, a feat matched only by Brazil , Belgium and France . At the 1930 World Cup , Romania won their first match against Peru , 3–1, with goals from Adalbert Deșu , Constantin Stanciu , and Nicolae Kovács and Samuel Zauber as goalkeeper, before losing 4–0 by hosts and eventual winners Uruguay . Romania qualified for the next World Cup in 1934 after beating Yugoslavia 2–1 in
10428-612: The first time in its history the team topped the World Football Elo Ratings , after a 1–4 away win over Russia during the Euro 2020 qualifiers . Despite the impressive form in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers as well as being regarded as the biggest contender for the European trophy, the tournament became a complete disappointment for Belgium. Being drawn in Group B alongside Russia, Denmark and Finland , Belgium easily conquered
10560-483: The following 23 players were named in the squad for the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League matches against Italy and Israel on 14 and 17 November 2024, respectively. Three days later, Charles De Ketelaere , Jérémy Doku , Malick Fofana and Joaquin Seys all dropped out due to injury or not being fully fit, with Samuel Mbangula , Albert Sambi Lokonga , Killian Sardella and Arthur Vermeeren called up to replace them. After
10692-550: The following decade, Belgium lost all of their matches at the first three FIFA World Cup final tournament. According to historian Richard Henshaw, "[t]he growth of [football] in Scandinavia, Central Europe, and South America left Belgium far behind". Although World War II hindered international football events in the 1940s, the Belgian team remained active with unofficial matches against squads of other allied nations . Belgium qualified for only one of eight major tournament during
10824-459: The foundation year of the RBFA. One year later, 1895 had 24,000 members. The nationwide interest in the football squad has also been reflected by the occasional presence of Belgian monarchs at their matches since 1914. One of the greatest moments for the Belgian team and their 12th man was in mid-1986 when the Belgian delegation at the Mexico World Cup received a warm "welcome home". When
10956-514: The game was finely balanced, before Wales were awarded a penalty . Paul Bodin of Swindon Town stepped up but hit the woodwork and Romania went on to win 2–1, Florin Răducioiu's late goal proving unnecessary as Czechoslovakia dropped a point in Belgium and were eliminated. At the finals, Romania were one of the most entertaining teams in the early stages , with Gheorghe Hagi, Florin Răducioiu and Ilie Dumitrescu on form. Romania beat Colombia 3–1 at
11088-449: The group with three wins. In the knockout phase , Belgium first faced reigning champions Portugal in the last sixteen and survived the scare with a thunder strike from Thorgan Hazard to give Belgium a 1–0 win. In the quarter-finals, Belgium once again faced old foe Italy, but Belgium failed to take revenge for their 2016 loss, once again suffering a 1–2 defeat, with the goal being scored by Romelu Lukaku , ending Belgium's campaign on
11220-512: The initial success, Romania decided to part with coach Victor Pițurcă by mutual consent. Anghel Iordănescu came out of retirement to return to coach Romania for a third time. Under Iordănescu, Romania was able to follow up with comfortable 2–0 win over Northern Ireland and, despite a disappointing 1–0 win over the Faroe Islands and a 0–0 draw in the return game against Northern Ireland, Romania remained on top of Group F, one point above Northern Ireland and three points above third-placed Hungary. After
11352-466: The last part of the campaign with a victory at home, against Hungary, but was defeated by Turkey. The last two match days were decisive, with Romania securing its place in the play-off with two wins, against Andorra and Estonia, while qualification rivals Turkey and Hungary were both defeated by the winner of the group, the Netherlands. Romania were drawn to play Greece for a place in the World Cup finals, but
11484-502: The late 1990s, they played three friendly tournament in Morocco, Cyprus and Japan, sharing the 1999 Kirin Cup with Peru in the latter. The greatest talents of the Belgian team during this golden age were retired from international football by 2000. At the eve of the World Cup in 2002, Belgium defeated reigning world and European champions France. During that World Cup, Belgium defeated Russia and tied with co-host Japan and Tunisia to reach
11616-506: The lead after an hour, but Balint quickly equalized and Romania held on to reach the second round . Against Jack Charlton 's Republic of Ireland side in Genoa , Romania did not have the quality to break down a defensive opposition. Daniel Timofte was the only player to miss in the penalty shoot-out – his kick saved by Packie Bonner – and Romania were out . Romania missed out on Euro 1992 . Scotland qualified after Romania drew
11748-463: The line, and back out. Referee Peter Mikkelsen merely waved play on, however, and Romania went on to lose the game 1–0, a defeat which sent them out of the tournament. Despite a poor performance at Euro 1996, Romania impressed in qualifying , finishing ten points clear of the Republic of Ireland and were seeded for the final tournament of the 1998 World Cup . Adrian Ilie scored the only goal with
11880-417: The match against Italy, five players dropped out due to injury or not being fully fit: De Cuyper, Lavia, Lukaku, Onana and Theate. Norman Bassette was the only replacement player called-up. Information correct as of 17 November 2024 , after the match against [REDACTED] Israel . The following footballers were part of a national selection in the past twelve months, but not part of
12012-437: The most recent squad. Between 1904 and 1980, mainly attacking Belgium players were recognised as talented footballers. In the team's first decade, striker Robert De Veen was very productive with 26 goals in 23 international appearances. Richard Henshaw described Alphonse Six as "Belgium's greatest player in the prewar period ... [who] was often called the most skillful forward outside Great Britain". The key player of
12144-410: The national team supported four social projects through the charity fund Football+ Foundation, by playing an A-match with a plus sign on the shoulders of their jerseys and auctioning the shirts. In the 21st century, several national team players acted up against discrimination. In 2002, the national squad held its first anti- racism campaign in which they posed with slogans. A home Euro 2012 qualifier
12276-491: The national team; this includes one national footballer selector. As of June 2024 , a crew of over 30 RBFA employees guides the player group, including German-Italian head coach Domenico Tedesco , and assistant coaches Andreas Hinkel and Luke Benstead. Under Marc Wilmots , Belgium reached the top FIFA ranking spot in 2015, which earned him the title of Best Coach of the Year at the 2015 Globe Soccer Awards . Under Guy Thys,
12408-472: The next mascots were a red super-devil and two fan-made modern devils; the most recent one, since 2018, was named "Red". "Cycling is the traditional national sport of Belgium, but soccer is the most popular." —Historian Richard Henshaw, 1979 Fans of the Belgian national team display the country's tricolour national flag, usually with an emphasis on the red element. In 2012, local supporter clubs merged into one large Belgian federation named "1895" after
12540-428: The poor results making the manager Anghel Iordănescu to resign before the matches for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers began three months later. It was German manager Christoph Daum who took the place of Anghel Iordănescu for the next qualifying campaign. Due to FIFA's ranking revamp, Romania was drawn from Pot 1, having to face Denmark , Poland , Montenegro , Armenia and Kazakhstan . The campaign began with
12672-416: The previous badge was a yellow lion on a black shield, similar to the escutcheon of the national coat of arms . On 8 November 2019, the Royal Belgian Football Association revealed a new logo, which preserved the main elements of the previous one: the royal crown, the wreath and the Belgian tricolor. For their first unofficial match in 1901, the Belgian team wore white jerseys with tricoloured bands on
12804-577: The quarter-finals. There were rumours before the match that Brazil might prefer Romania to progress than world champions England; after beating them 1–0 in their previous match in Guadalajara, the South American giants still viewed England as one of its biggest obstacles to tournament victory. But Brazil played some of the best football of the competition, with Pelé scoring twice and a Jairzinho goal in between. Romania battled bravely; Dumitrache pulled
12936-666: The record for most hat-tricks conceded with 6 each, which means that only 5 hat-tricks have been scored against a team other than Bulgaria and Greece. Romania national football team The Romania national football team ( Romanian : Echipa națională de fotbal a României ) represents Romania in men's international football , and is administered by the Romanian Football Federation ( Romanian : Federația Română de Fotbal ), also known as FRF. They are colloquially known as Tricolorii ("the Tricolours"). Romania
13068-498: The returns were for charitable purposes: two against France, and three against the Netherlands. In mid-1986, when the Belgian delegation reached the Mexico World Cup semi-finals, the squad started a project titled Casa Hogar, an idea of delegation leader Michel D'Hooghe . Casa Hogar is a home for street children in the Mexican industrial city of Toluca , to which the footballers donated part of their tournament bonuses. In August 2013,
13200-777: The revelation of the group, Montenegro, in Podgorica , but failed amid a Stevan Jovetić winner and were mathematically eliminated, leading to the sacking of Daum and his replace with Cosmin Contra . This defeat was followed by a 3-1 victory against Kazakhstan in Ploiești before a lucky 1-1 draw against Denmark in Copenhagen . Romania ended fourth in the group, with 13 points, twelve goals scored and ten conceded. Belgium national football team The Belgium national football team has officially represented Belgium in men's international football since their maiden match in 1904. The squad
13332-415: The role, the first time he coached a national team in the final stages of a tournament. Romania was drawn in the so-called " Group of death " alongside the Netherlands , world champions Italy and France, runners-up in the 2006 World Cup. Romania started with a 0–0 draw against a lacklustre France while Italy were soundly beaten by the Netherlands, 3–0. In their next match, against Italy, Adrian Mutu opened
13464-401: The round of 16. After the 2002 World Cup, the team weakened with the loss of more veterans and coach Waseige. They missed out five successive major finals from UEFA Euro 2004 until UEFA Euro 2012 , and went through an equal number of head coaches. A 2005 win over reigning European champions Greece meant nothing but a small comfort. In between, a promising new generation was maturing at
13596-569: The score back to 2–1 before the break and a late Emerich Dembrowski goal made it 3–2, but they were out. On 26 September 1972, under new coach Valentin Stanescu , Romania suffered a significant defeat to East Germany in Leipzig . The East Germans won 2–0 to effectively seal their first ever qualification for the World Cup, which would be held over the border in West Germany. With East Germany scoring
13728-455: The scoring early in the second half. Their lead was a very short one, however, as Italy's Christian Panucci scored a minute later off of a corner kick. Nearing the end of the match, Daniel Niculae earned a penalty for his team, but goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon saved the subsequent Mutu penalty, leaving Romania with two points and needing a win against the Netherlands, who defeated France 4–1 that same evening. The Netherlands beat Romania 2–0 in
13860-421: The second (and last) group match. Two bright spots in these decades were wins against World Cup holders: West Germany in 1954, and Brazil in 1963. Between these, Belgium defeated Hungary's Golden Team in 1956. The combination of failure in competitive matches, and success in exhibition matches, gave the Belgians the mock title of "world champions of the friendlies". The team's performance improved during
13992-448: The second edition of the revived tournament was launched, this time consisting of five teams with Yugoslavia returning to take part. Romania went on to win the last edition in 1980 by beating Yugoslavia 4–1 at home in the final. Source: Exclude 1948 Balkan Cup . Exclude semifinal losers in 1973–76 Balkan Cup and 1977–80 Balkan Cup . Since the first official tournament in 1929–31 , 17 hat-tricks have been scored in over 50 matches of
14124-440: The second round. During this period, managers Guy Thys, Paul Van Himst and Robert Waseige each guided a Belgian selection past the first round. In addition to receiving individual FIFA recognitions , the team reached the semi-finals of the 1986 World Cup . After reaching the Euro 1980 final, they were unsuccessful at subsequent European Championship, with early exits from their appearances in 1984 and in 2000 . During
14256-580: The shirts set "the ugliness record". During the 1970s, manager Raymond Goethals chose an all-white combination to improve the team's visibility during evening matches. Six clothing manufacturers have supplied the official team strip. Adidas is the producer since 2014, and closed a sponsorship deal with the RBFA until 2026; it was also the supplier from 1974 to 1980, and from 1982 to 1991. Former kit manufacturers are Umbro (early 1970s), Admiral (1981–1982), Diadora (1992–1999), Nike (1999–2010) and Burrda (2010–2014). The first live coverage of
14388-421: The squad achieved record results at World and European Championship; World Soccer magazine accordingly proclaimed him Manager of the Year in 1986. Under Spanish coach Roberto Martínez , the team reached a best-ever third place finish at the 2018 FIFA World Cup . Rather than developing innovative team formations or styles of play, Belgium's managers applied conventional tactics. At the three 1930s World Cups,
14520-553: The squad. After world champions Argentina were stunned by Cameroon in the tournament's opening match, Romania did their chances no harm with a convincing win over the Soviet Union at the San Nicola in Bari , with Marius Lăcătuș scoring in each half. The result was all the more impressive given the absence of Hagi. There was controversy, however, as Lăcătus' second was a penalty given for
14652-458: The team's outfield players traditionally wear the colours of the Belgian flag : black, yellow and red. Red dominates the strip and is often the sole jersey colour. The away colours are usually white, black or both; in 2014, the squad introduced a third, yellow kit. Their shirts are often trimmed with tricolores at the margins. Since 1981, the RBFA emblem has been the national team's badge;
14784-572: The team's final trainings before domestic matches. Since 2007, most physical preparation takes place at the National Football Centre in Tubize , or at Anderlecht 's training ground in the Neerpede quarter. Apart from Belgian home friendlies, at the international level Belgium's national stadium has also hosted six European Championship matches. In 1930, for the country's centennial, the venue
14916-461: The tournament and won it in its first attempt. Hungary were a world footballing power at the time and proved this with a 9–0 thrashing against Bulgaria. In 1948 the Balkan Cup was expanded to seven teams with Poland and Czechoslovakia joining the tournament. However, the 1948 edition was never completed due to unknown reasons. Hungary were topping the group at the time of its cancellation. Because of
15048-526: The tournament for taking drugs, in Los Angeles . The suspended Răducioiu was hardly missed, as coach Anghel Iordănescu pushed Dumitrescu forward to play as a striker and the player responded by scoring twice in the first 20 minutes, one a subtle left foot flick from a right-wing Hagi cross slotted between the Argentine defenders. In between, Gabriel Batistuta scored a penalty, but after half-time Romania netted
15180-443: The tournament, Martínez announced that he would be standing down as head coach after six years in charge of the national team. In February 2023, it was announced that Domenico Tedesco has been appointed as the new head coach of the Belgian national team, replacing Roberto Martinez on a contract lasting until the end of Euro 2024 . At the finals, Belgium were eliminated in the round of 16 , losing 1–0 to France. In home matches,
15312-456: The upper arms. Around their third unofficial match in 1902, the choice was made for a "shirt with national colours ... [that would indicate,] with a stripe, the number of times every player has participated in an encounter". Since 1904, Belgium's classic all-red jersey design has been altered twice. In 1904–05, the squad briefly wore satin shirts with three horizontal bands in red, yellow and black; according to sports journalist Victor Boin ,
15444-502: The victorious 1920 Olympic squad was Robert Coppée , who scored a hat-trick against Spain's Ricardo Zamora , and the penalty in the final. Other outstanding Belgian strikers in the interwar period were former top scorer Bernard Voorhoof and "Belgium's football grandmaster" Raymond Braine , considered "one of the greatest players of the era". Gifted players in the 1940s and the 1950s included centre-back Louis Carré and attackers Jef Mermans , Pol Anoul and Rik Coppens ; at
15576-568: The wind and the returning Răducioiu found a late equalizer, again from a free-kick move but this time down to a deflection and a failure of the Swedes to clear. In extra time Răducioiu scored again after a mistake by Patrik Andersson , but Sweden then scored their own late equalizer as giant striker Kennet Andersson climbed above goalkeeper Florin Prunea to head home a long ball. Prunea had come in after two matches to replace Bogdan Stelea , whose confidence
15708-668: The withdrawal of their qualifying opponents, the United States . The first match at the Stade du T.O.E.C. in Toulouse ended 3–3 after extra time, but Cuba won the replay four days later 2–1. Despite a 3–0 loss to Portugal in Lisbon and two draws against Greece , Romania was able to qualify for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. Angelo Niculescu 's promising side were given the toughest of draws, in Group 3 with 1966 winners England , giants Brazil and Czechoslovakia. A Geoff Hurst goal gave England
15840-503: The woodwork with goalkeeper Francesco Toldo stranded off his line and, after the break, was sent off for diving. Romania's tournament was over and Emerich Jenei left his job as coach again. Romania failed to qualify for the next three major tournaments. They drew Slovenia , who had been surprise qualifiers for Euro 2000 in a playoff for a place in the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. A narrow 2–1 deficit – having led through
15972-492: Was a disaster that began with a 3–0 home loss to Lithuania and included a 5–0 trashing in Belgrade by Serbia. Furthermore, various problems were caused during the poor campaign, such as the retirement from international football of Cosmin Contra, Mirel Rădoi and Adrian Mutu (the latter would later be recalled after a year's absence). Coach Victor Pițurcă resigned and was replaced by Răzvan Lucescu . In Euro 2012 qualifying, Romania
16104-406: Was a win against Luxembourg and the second was an important win in the rematch against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Romania's last decent result came when they battled France to a goalless draw before ending the campaign the way it began – two disappointing draws with Albania and Belarus. They finished qualification in a distant third place and only one point ahead of Belarus. Romania were drawn into
16236-485: Was against a Tunisia side eliminated after losing to both England and Colombia. With England–Colombia being the more decisive game, the Stade de France in Paris was an 80,000-strong sell out and the crowd were nearly rewarded with a shock as Skander Souayah scored an early penalty to give the north Africans the lead. Romania needed a point to win the group and avoid Argentina in the round of 16, and got it when Moldovan volleyed
16368-466: Was drawn into Group D along with France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Albania and Luxembourg. Although the team initially seemed prepared to continue their awful form from their disastrous World Cup campaign, beginning with a 1–1 draw with Pot 5 members Albania and following up with a goalless draw with Belarus and a pair of losses to France and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the team was able to rebound somewhat and register their first two victories. The first
16500-501: Was established in October 1909 in Bucharest . Romania played their first international match on 8 June 1922, a 2–1 win over Yugoslavia in Belgrade , being coached by Teofil Moraru. Several temporary coaches were employed, before Moraru resumed control in August 1924, managing the side for nearly four years. Romania enjoyed some success during the 1930s; manager Costel Rădulescu took them to
16632-480: Was given the theme of respect for diversity in 2010; this UEFA-supported action was part of the European FARE Action Week. Ex-Red Devil Dimitri Mbuyu —the first black Belgium player (in 1987) —was engaged as godfather, and other foreign, current, and former footballers who played in the Belgian top division participated. In 2018, four national team players spoke up against homophobic violence , in
16764-482: Was inaugurated as the Jubilee Stadium with an unofficial match between Belgium and the Netherlands. At that time, the stadium had a capacity of 75,000. In 1946, it was renamed Heysel Stadium after its city quarter. This new name became associated with the tragedy preceding the 1985 European Cup Final between Juventus and Liverpool; 39 spectators died after riots in the then antiquated building. Three years after
16896-477: Was narrowly saved by the French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris . Shortly after the half-time, France dominated, and scored the first goal of the tournament after a header by Olivier Giroud in the 57th minute. Less than eight minutes later, Nicușor Stanciu was fouled by Patrice Evra in the French box, and Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai gave Romania a penalty which Bogdan Stancu scored. With the match coming to an end, just after Romania narrowly missed an opportunity after
17028-631: Was renamed UBSFA. During the Great War, the national team only played unrecognized friendlies , with matches in and against France. At the 1920 Summer Olympic , in their first official Olympics appearance, the Red Devils won the gold medal on home soil after a controversial final in which their Czechoslovak opponents left the pitch. In the three 1920s Summer Olympic, they achieved fair results (four wins in seven matches), and played their first intercontinental match, against Argentina . However, over
17160-470: Was shattered by the 4–1 loss to the Swiss . In the shoot-out, Dan Petrescu and Miodrag Belodedici had their kicks saved by Thomas Ravelli and Sweden went through . At Euro 1996 , held in England, Romania arrived as a highly thought-of and popular team but had a nightmare. Iordănescu's side were based in the northeast, with their first two games at St James' Park in Newcastle . Against France, they lost to
17292-430: Was shortened to just a single week. From 1932 to 1936 the competition was played every year with the same four teams until the outbreak of World War II . After a seven-year hiatus due to World War II, the competition was revived in 1946. Greece dropped out of the tournament the same year, and was replaced by Albania , who went on to win the 1946 edition by defeating Romania 1–0 in the final game. In 1947 Hungary entered
17424-571: Was the most-watched programme in Belgian television history, with an audience of over four million viewers out of 11.3 million Belgian citizens. In April 2014, the VRT started transmitting a nine-piece, behind-the-scenes documentary about the national team filmed during the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, titled Iedereen Duivel ( Everybody Devil ). Cable broadband provider Telenet broadcast an eight-part documentary about individual players titled Rode Helden ( Red Heroes ). Multiple events were organised for
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