The U21 rule, more effective than ever! Romania U21 were defeated by Spain U21 7-1 after taking a 1-0 lead in the Euro 2027 qualifiers

Romania U21 were defeated by Spain 7-1 after taking the lead in the 27th minute, in the qualifiers for the 2027 European Championship. The “Tricolors” thus finished Group A in third place, with 16 points, and no longer have any chance of qualifying for the final tournament.

Rareș Burnete scored for Romania with a shot from the edge of the penalty area, after receiving a pass from Cîmpean. The advantage lasted only seven minutes, with Pablo Garcia equalizing in the 34th minute. Spain then took control of the match and scored three more times before halftime: Gasiorowski in the 41st minute, Gonzalo Garcia in the 44th minute, and Pablo Garcia in stoppage time at the end of the first half.

The hosts started the second half strongly as well. Pablo Garcia scored in the 47th minute to complete his hat-trick, while Gonzalo Garcia scored his second in the 53rd minute. Iker Bravo set the final score in the 65th minute.

Romania had already lost its chances of qualifying after the 0-2 defeat to Finland in the match played last week. The U21 national team had participated in the last four editions of the European Championship, with its best performance being reaching the semifinals in 2019.

*The U21 Rule (Under-21) is a requirement imposed by the Romanian Football Federation obliging SuperLiga teams to have at least one young player in this age category on the field at all times.