Suche
Cyprus and Romania separate 2: 2-a gripping qualifying duel!
Cyprus and Romania separate in the World Cup qualifier 2025/2026 with a 2-2 draw. An exciting duel in group h!
Cyprus and Romania separate 2: 2-a gripping qualifying duel!
In an exciting duel of the World Cup qualification Europe 2025/2026, Cyprus and Romania achieved a 2-2 draw on September 9, 2025. The game took place in Group H and was of great importance for both teams in order not to increase the gap to the leading teams, Austria and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Romania started strongly and took the lead in the second minute through a header from Denis Drăguş. Just 16 minutes later it was Drăguş again, who scored the 2-0 for his team after a quick counterattack. However, Cyprus woke up after the early deficit and was able to score the first goal in the 29th minute by Loizos Loizou, which gave hope.
Cyprus shows fighting spirit
In the course of the second half, Cyprus showed a remarkable performance. With 58 percent possession of the ball, they urged the equalization, while Romania withdrew defensively and tried to defend the lead. The pressure of the Cypriots was finally rewarded in the 76th minute when Charalampos Charalampous achieved the equalization after a successful combination.
In the exciting added time, Romania's goalkeeper Horatiu Moldovan had the opportunity to keep his team from a defeat when he parried a shot from Ioannis Pittas. Despite the balanced result, the draw did not help both teams to reduce the gap to the top of the table.
Play statistics and highlights
The game was not only shaped by goals, the map distribution also reflects the intensity:
| team | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|
| Cyprus | Ioannis Pittas (54th minute), Ioannis Kousoulos (48th minute), Charalampos Charalampous (90+1. minute) |
| Romania | Nicușor Bancu (21st minute), Andrei Burcă (44th minute) |
Another factor was the change that both coaches made to bring a breath of fresh air into play. Cyprus changed four times, with Kostas Pileas came into play for Anderson Correia during the half -time break. Romania also implemented fresh forces and carried out several changes in the second half.
For further statistics and information on the World Cup qualification, it is worth taking a look at the page of kicker.de that offers regularly updated data and analyzes.
In summary, it remains to be said that the game was an exciting meeting of two teams who continue to fight for a place in the upcoming World Cup. Both teams have shown in this game that they can act at eye level, but have to qualify in the further course.
Further details about the course of the game can be found on the page of worldfussball.at and a summary of the highlights laola1.at.