Bosnia defeats Romania 4-2 in Nations League as Gheorghe Hagi squad rotation fails
Bosnia and Herzegovina secured a 4-2 victory against Romania behind closed doors at Arena Națională on Monday, leaving the hosts with zero points in Nations League Group B4.
Defensive collapse in Bucharest
Bosnia and Herzegovina secured a 4-2 victory against Romania on Monday evening at Arena Națională in Bucharest. Played without spectators in UEFA Nations League Group B4, the match saw the visiting side establish an early lead. Armin Gigovic opened the scoring in the 12th minute, and Tarik Muharemovic doubled Bosnia's advantage seven minutes later. Daniel Bîrligea brought Romania back into contention with a goal in the 28th minute, but Haris Tabakovic restored Bosnia's two-goal cushion in the 40th minute. Ermin Mahmic scored a fourth for the visitors in the 55th minute before Alexandru Cicâldău converted a long-range shot for Romania in the 62nd minute. The result marked the first time in 14 years that Romania conceded four goals in a home match in Bucharest.
- Armin Gigovic scores the opening goal for Bosnia
- Tarik Muharemovic doubles Bosnia's lead to 2-0
- Daniel Bîrligea scores Romania's first goal
- Haris Tabakovic extends Bosnia's lead to 3-1
- Ermin Mahmic scores Bosnia's fourth goal
- Alexandru Cicâldău scores Romania's second goal from distance
Managerial rotation and squad selection
Romania manager Gheorghe Hagi made nine changes to his starting lineup compared to the side that lost 1-2 against Sweden three days earlier. The revised selection struggled with defensive positioning throughout the evening, drawing criticism over mistakes by goalkeeper Ionuț Radu and central defenders Andrei Burcă and Matei Ilie. In post-match remarks, the 61-year-old coach acknowledged that he considered replacing ten players at half-time, offering praise only for David Matei and Coubiș. Hagi took personal responsibility for the lineup decisions during his press conference.
A painful failure, we did not pass the exam, I am the first to blame, I take responsibility. We will think, I believe things need to change a lot for Romania to perform, to be at the level where it was before.
Hagi stated that he required a night of reflection before determining next steps, noting that the national team would have to move forward regardless of whether he remained in charge.
Emergency locker room meeting and pundit reactions
Immediately after the final whistle, Romanian Football Federation president Răzvan Burleanu and technical director Mihai Stoichiță entered the dressing room to question Hagi and the squad during an emergency session lasting approximately 30 minutes. Former Romanian internationals offered critical evaluations of the selection strategy on post-match television broadcasts. Adrian Mutu questioned the decision to use a competitive tournament for extensive experimentation.
I think this match could easily have been 7-2 for Bosnia, it could have been 3-0 in the first 20 minutes. My question is: what did we gain from this match? Why are we experimenting so much?
Former captain Gheorghe Popescu observed that the improvised central defensive pairing appeared unfamiliar with playing together against Bosnia's attack.
We did not manage to block Bosnia, I didn't know if we were playing against Barcelona or Bosnia.
Group standing and upcoming fixtures
The defeat leaves Romania in fourth place in Group B4 with zero points after two matches. Final group positions carry significant stakes for the national team's qualifying path: finishing among the top two seeds guarantees entry into Pot 2 for the EURO 2028 qualifying draw, while finishing third or fourth places Romania in Pot 3. The group winner will earn promotion to League A, whereas the bottom team will suffer relegation to League C. Romania continues its campaign on 2 October with an away fixture against Poland, followed by a home match against Sweden at Arena Națională on 5 October.
