Romania and New Zealand are clashing at Sapporo Dome in round 3 of Group B in the Olympics 2021 soccer tournament. Romania has started this tournament with a win, but they lost their second game and are now in last place in this group. New Zealand has also won their first game but lost their second game, and they are in 3rd place.
Romania has scored only 1 goal so far in this tournament, and that was in their first game, while they have conceded 4 goals, and that was in the loss against South Korea. Romania has had 48% of ball possession in that match, 1 shot on goal, 1 corner kick, 1 big chance created, and 71% of the correct passes. I don’t think the result would have been this high if Romania hadn’t conceded a red card in the 45th minute. With a player less on the field, Romania wasn’t able to defend, and they have lost this match 0-4. Gheorghe will miss this match because of the red card. Technically, Romania still hasn’t scored a goal because the only goal they scored was an own goal. This is a group where every team has 3 points, and every team can advance, including Romania, but I don’t think they showed enough in the attacking end to get through.
Surprisingly enough, New Zealand has scored 3 goals in 2 games in this tournament, and they have actually played solid soccer. In the second round, New Zealand was playing against Honduras, and they have had 41% of ball possession, 5 shots on goal, 5 corner kicks, 2 big chances created, and 75% of the correct passes. New Zealand was leading twice in this match, but Honduras got back both times, and they have even scored a winning goal in the 87th minute. New Zealand has lost this match 2-3. Chris Wood has scored 2 goals for New Zealand so far in this tournament, while Cacace added 1 goal. New Zealand must win this match if they want to advance, or maybe a draw will be enough in some calculations, but I think New Zealand is good enough to win this game and advance to the next stage.
Romania has a bright future in my opinion, but they haven’t shown a lot in the attacking end so far. Both teams need a win to advance to the next stage, but I’m siding with the Kiwis here because they are the better team, and they deserve a win more.