06.10.2021, 08:00
Pintea steers Romania to hard-earned opening victory

ROUND 1 REVIEW: In their first match without Cristina Neagu, Romania had problems for almost 40 minutes against Faroe Islands

After missing the Olympic Games and now missing their top star Cristina Neagu, who is on a break from the national team, Romania had some difficulties restarting their engine. This is why it took some time for them to finally secure an expected win against Faroe Islands in their EHF EURO 2022 opener. 

Group 2:  

Romania vs. Faroe Islands 26:19 (15:14) 

• Like in their only previous match against Faroe Islands, when they were down by 11:12 at the break in 2019, Romania had problems in the first half. 
• Despite a comfortable 7:3 lead, the hosts were not given control of the match, and only took a 15:14 to the dressing rooms. 
• Until a 17:16 score in minute 38, the Scandinavians were on a par, then their batteries began to run low. 
• Later, when top scorer Crina Pintea netted her ninth for the 24:19, the match was decided. 
• Jana Mittum, Turid Samuelsen and Maria Weyhe were the best Faroese scorers with four goals each, meanwhile, goalkeeper Annika Petersen was strong with nine saves. 

Pintea takes the responsibility 

If an outstanding star such as Cristina Neagu calls for a break, it is interesting to see how the new hierarchy develops in a team. In the Romanian side, the second most experienced player Crina Pintea took the responsibility. The powerful line player, who just moved from Bucharest back to Györ, was Romania's top scorer with nine goals, followed by young Bianca Maria Bazaliu, who netted six. Pintea scored her goals in the crucial moments of the match. 

TEXT: EHF / Björn Pazen