Until the 87th minute, the scoreboard at the Ghencea stadium showed the score 1-1 between Romania and Lithuania, with the guests having a disallowed goal and showing a rather energetic game. However, the changes made by Mircea Lucescu made the difference in the end, when Ianis Hagi scored a penalty kick converted by Răzvan Marin, so that Alex Mitriță, returned to the national team, scored after a beautiful combination with Denis Alibec.

Romania - Lithuania 3-1

Before the starting whistle, the players of the two national teams held a moment of silence in memory of Christoph Daum, who at the age of 70, after a hard battle with lung cancer. The German technician was the Romanian national team coach in July 2016 - September 2017.

The first minutes of the game showed an energetic game from both camps, despite the rather difficult turf of the Ghencea arena. The table was unlocked by Valentin Mihăilă after a good pass sent deep by Nicolae Stanciu. Parma's winger beat Gertmonas, the goalkeeper of Cluj University, with a shot to the long corner. For Mihăilă it was the goal with number 5 in the national team shirt.

The Lithuanians mobilized after the conceded goal and for many minutes they kept the ball in the tricolor half of the field, but without creating dangerous opportunities to score.

A dangerous moment had Lasickas in the foreground. The captain of Lithuania, registered at Olimpia Ljubljana, sent a volley into the goal area, Târnovanu having to give a corner to the guests.

After half an hour of play, FCSB's goalkeeper made two more good saves on the shots sent by the Lithuanian footballers, the visitors again benefiting from a corner kick.

Opportunities began to appear at Gertmonas' gate as well. A beautiful combination of Man - Răzvan Marin - Drăguș found the Trabzonspor striker at the finish, who failed to find the target inside the penalty area.

Unfortunately, the tricolor defense gave way after a beautiful phase succeeded by the Lithuanians. After receiving the ball inside the box, striker Kucys beat Târnovanu, this time with a shot to the long corner.

The possession game started to be dominated by the tricolors, but the attempts signed by Stanciu and Mihăilă did not bring the expected effect.

Until the break, "Sonic" Rațiu was found inside the box, but the right defender's shot was blocked at the last moment by the Lithuanian defense.

The second half

The first minutes of the second act showed a rather heavy game developed by the tricolors, the Lithuanians insisting through constant pressing in our half of the field.

Darius Olaru, newly introduced to the field in place of Marius Marin, caused a foul, the guests counting another shot on goal space from the fixed phase. Fortunately for the tricolors, Târnovanu was on the move and rejected the ball sent by Tutyskinas.

Lasickas had a dangerous break into the box from the left flank, but the Lithuanian captain's finish left much to be desired.

At the other goal, Stanciu tried to surprise Gertmonas with an execution from a distance, but again without success. Drăguș and Man also had actions on their own, but in both rows the two attacking players were blocked at the time of completion.

There were good moments of play by the tricolors at the goal of Gertmonas. The visitors' keeper emotionlessly saved a shot sent by Darius Olaru with his right foot.

Coming off the bench, Ianis Hagi hit the target with a powerful long shot.

A real shock wave came a quarter of an hour before the end of regulation time: following a corner by the tricolors, Gertmonas put his team on the counterattack, where Răzvan Marin was easily overtaken by Slivka. The midfielder crossed into the box, from where Antanavicius scored with a header, although Târnovanu came out between the stumps and managed to touch the ball with both hands.

After consultation with the assistants in the VAR room, the Slovenian center Obrenovic disallowed the goal scored by Lithuania due to a foul. Târnovanu then had a precise intervention following a new counterattack orchestrated by the students of the Jankauskas selector, who saw the yellow card for protests following the disallowed goal. 

In the Lithuanian box there was an extremely contested phase by the guests. Ianis Hagi falls in the penalty area following a contact with Lasickas, the referee Obrenovic letting the game go free in the first phase. Called to the sidelines to review the images in the VAR camera, the center awarded a penalty for Romania. Already used to penalty kicks, Răzvan Marin beat Gertmonas without emotion and scored for 2-1. For the midfielder of Cagliari, it was the seventh goal in the national shirt.

Romania was reborn in the last minutes of the game. Alex Mitriță rewarded Mircea Lucescu with a goal on his return to the national team, the Craiova University winger combining beautifully with Denis Alibec following a counterattack. For Mitriță it was the goal with number 4 in Romania's shirt.

Mircea Lucescu's return to Ghencea thus ended successfully. Maximum score for Romania, therefore, after the first two rounds of the Nations League, where the tricolors occupy the first place in Group II of the C League.