By Matthew Day ⋅ June 15, 2008 ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

Euro 2008

Adrian Mutu seems to have been misrepresented.

Lambasted after his suspension for taking cocaine, there could be no doubting his sincerity after missing a penalty against Italy that would have sent Romania into the last eight.

Almost in tears, Mutu admitted he entered a “deep depression” despite an excellent all-round performance. He, along with Chivu, is Romania’s most reputed player and with the latter masterful in organising the side’s efficient defence, Mutu provided the impetus in attack.

After his well-taken opportunistic goal, Romania lost their concentration and the normally thrifty defence allowed Italy equalise within two minutes. The scorer, Christian Panucci, was to turn from hero to zero when he gave away a penalty with just ten minutes remaining and Mutu had the opportunity to make himself a true national hero. Instead, it was Gigi Buffon who claimed that status - his fabulous save means if Italy beat France, they are likely to qualify for the knockout stages.

Mutu’s pain at the miss was patent, probably in the knowledge that Romania had missed their big chance to stun the football world in progressing from the Group of Death. They were 50/1 before the tournament to finish in the top two. Suddenly, Mutu was 12 yards from realising the Romanian dream - while also sending out the two World Cup finalists from two years ago. His miss means Victor Piturca’s side will probably have to beat the Netherlands.

Despite already being guaranteed top spot, Marco Van Basten will not want to lose the momentum built from two fantastic performances and even if a ‘B’ side is selected, the wave of optimism surrounding Holland means that the feel-good factor lingers, and the reserve players will want to impress Van Basten in a bid to earn a starting spot in the latter stages.

It is a tough proposition for Piturca and co. If they play like they did against the world champions, they could pull off a shock result. Let’s hope so - Italy and France have been gravely disappointing and few can say with much conviction that they deserve to go through.

It would be splendid to see an underdog progress, and Romania are clearly capable of mixing it with Euro 2008’s top dogs. Their sternest test awaits on Tuesday; if they beat Holland, then they deserve to be treated as true contenders for the ultimate crown. Otherwise, a nation’s dream will come to a premature end and Mutu might again be remembered for the wrong reasons.

Tags: Adrian Mutu, Euro 2008, Romania

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