Romania v France, 10 June 1996

Score1-0 to France
RefereeHeinz Helmut Krug
CompetitionUEFA European Championship Finals Group B
VenueSt James' Park
Attendance26,323
Kick-off: 7.30pm local France moved to the top of Group B thanks to a 1-0 victory against Romania. Having met twice in qualifying – a 0-0 draw in Saint-Etienne and a 3-1 win for France in Bucharest – these were two teams who could harbour no secrets from each other. Aimé Jacquet did not even attempt to spring a surprise, setting his team up in his trademark 4-3-1-2 formation. It once again proved fruitful for Les Bleus, with Christophe Dugarry's 25th-minute effort enough to separate the sides. Romania exceeded expectations in the United States two years earlier, reaching the 1994 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals, but on this occasion failed to respond to Gheorghe Hagi's promptings. Though France put in a slightly more fluent display, they were left grateful for a slice of fortune which ultimately ensured they got off to a winning start. Youri Djorkaeff put in a high cross from the right and goalkeeper Bogdan Stelea came out to the very edge of the penalty area where he collided with Gheorghe Mihali, allowing a surprised Dugarry to head in. There could have been more goals late on, Patrice Loko escaping two defenders before missing the target and Laurent Blanc denying Viorel Modovan with a fine tackle, but Dugarry's effort was decisive.

0  Romania

Manager: Anghel Iordanescu

1  France

Manager: Aime Jacquet

Goals:

Goals:

Christophe Dugarry 25 G

Starting lineup:

Goalkeeper Bogdan Stelea
Defender Gheorghe Mihali
Defender Dan Petrescu
Defender Gheorghe Popescu
Midfielder Gheorghe Hagi (captain)
Midfielder Ionut Lupescu
Midfielder Dorinel Munteanu
Midfielder Tibor Selymes

Starting lineup:

Bernard Lama Goalkeeper
Laurent Blanc Defender
Marcel Desailly Defender
Eric Di Meco Defender
Lilian Thuram Defender
Didier Deschamps Midfielder (captain)
Youri Djorkaeff Midfielder
Vincent Guerin Midfielder
Christian Karembeu Midfielder
Zinédine Zidane Midfielder

Substitutions:

Viorel Moldovan for Florin Răducioiu 46
Adrian Ilie for Marius Lăcătuş 52
Iulian Filipescu for Dan Petrescu 77

Substitutions:

Bixente Lizarazu for Eric Di Meco 68
Patrice Loko for Christophe Dugarry 68
Alain Roche for Zinédine Zidane 79

Cards:

Gheorghe Mihali 50 Y
Tibor Selymes 71 Y
Adrian Ilie 90 Y

Cards:

Eric Di Meco 20 Y

On the bench:

Goalkeeper Florin Prunea
Goalkeeper Florin Tene
Defender Anton Dobos
Defender Iulian Filipescu
Midfielder Constantin Gâlcă
Midfielder Ioan Sabău
Midfielder Ovidiu Stîngă
Forward Adrian Ilie
Forward Viorel Moldovan
Forward Ion Vlădoiu

On the bench:

Goalkeeper Fabien Barthez
Goalkeeper Bruno Martini
Defender Jocelyn Angloma
Defender Frank Leboeuf
Defender Bixente Lizarazu
Defender Alain Roche
Midfielder Sabri Lamouchi
Midfielder Corentin Martins
Midfielder Reynald Pedros
Forward Patrice Loko
Forward Mikael Madar

0  Romania

Manager: Anghel Iordanescu

Goals:

Starting lineup:

Goalkeeper Bogdan Stelea
Defender Gheorghe Mihali
Defender Dan Petrescu
Defender Gheorghe Popescu
Midfielder Gheorghe Hagi (captain)
Midfielder Ionut Lupescu
Midfielder Dorinel Munteanu
Midfielder Tibor Selymes

Substitutions:

Viorel Moldovan for Florin Răducioiu 46
Adrian Ilie for Marius Lăcătuş 52
Iulian Filipescu for Dan Petrescu 77

Cards:

Gheorghe Mihali 50 Y
Tibor Selymes 71 Y
Adrian Ilie 90 Y

On the bench:

Goalkeeper Florin Prunea
Goalkeeper Florin Tene
Defender Anton Dobos
Defender Iulian Filipescu
Midfielder Constantin Gâlcă
Midfielder Ioan Sabău
Midfielder Ovidiu Stîngă
Forward Adrian Ilie
Forward Viorel Moldovan
Forward Ion Vlădoiu

1  France

Manager: Aime Jacquet

Goals:

Christophe Dugarry 25 G

Starting lineup:

Bernard Lama Goalkeeper
Laurent Blanc Defender
Marcel Desailly Defender
Eric Di Meco Defender
Lilian Thuram Defender
Didier Deschamps Midfielder (captain)
Youri Djorkaeff Midfielder
Vincent Guerin Midfielder
Christian Karembeu Midfielder
Zinédine Zidane Midfielder

Substitutions:

Bixente Lizarazu for Eric Di Meco 68
Patrice Loko for Christophe Dugarry 68
Alain Roche for Zinédine Zidane 79

Cards:

Eric Di Meco 20 Y

On the bench:

Goalkeeper Fabien Barthez
Goalkeeper Bruno Martini
Defender Jocelyn Angloma
Defender Frank Leboeuf
Defender Bixente Lizarazu
Defender Alain Roche
Midfielder Sabri Lamouchi
Midfielder Corentin Martins
Midfielder Reynald Pedros
Forward Patrice Loko
Forward Mikael Madar