England appear to have a favourable route to the final at Euro 2024, even if their performances in the group stages were tepid and uninspiring. Despite dull draws with Denmark and Slovenia, a victory against Serbia in the opening match was enough to secure top spot in Group C.
That means the Three Lions will face one of the third-placed teams from the group stages, though which one is as yet undecided. It also means they are certain to avoid heavyweights France, Spain, Germany and Portugal until a potential final.
Looking that far ahead would be presumptuous, though. England could still have some difficult tests to come, not least if they face one of their bogey teams in the last 16.
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The potential opponents in the next round include the Netherlands, Belgium, Slovakia, Ukraine and Romania. The latter have proved especially tricky opponents for England in the past, with just three wins from 12 meetings with the southeastern Europeans.
Gareth Southgate’s side did beat Romania 1-0 in a 2021 friendly, thanks to a Marcus Rashford penalty. But before that they had gone seven matches without a victory, a run stretching back to the 1970 World Cup, when Geoff Hurst scored the game’s only goal. Since then, England have faced Romania six times in competitive fixtures, losing three and drawing three, including a 3-2 group-stage defeat at Euro 2000.
Any complacency must be guarded against, then, if England are to come up against Edward Iordanescu’s side at Euro 2024. The Romanians are not to be underestimated.
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