Oceano Cruz draws 1-1, unbeaten since March 2024, ex-Sporting star shines | OneFootball

The Portuguese under-20 team settled for a draw against Romania (1-1), this Monday, November 17, in the UEFA Elite League. Oceano Cruz's players, the former Sporting player, opened the scoring but were unable to maintain the lead until the final whistle.

Darius Faicusan, captain of the Romanian team, was the main figure of the match, for both good and bad reasons. In a bizarre play, the Portuguese side scored the first goal of the match: at 15', Iustin Chirila punched the ball towards his teammate's head. The ball whimsically found its way into the back of the net.

At the Juventude Sport Clube Stadium in Évora, Faicusan redeemed himself ten minutes later, appearing suddenly in a favorable position to score. Portugal diligently sought to regain the lead, but their numerous attempts did not find the right path.

It should be noted that with this result, the Portuguese team now has 16 points, leading the standings - four more than Germany. Meanwhile, Romania earned their first point, occupying fourth place. Portugal's last defeat was in March 2024, in a friendly against Denmark (4-1).

Oceano played for Sporting on two occasions – between 1984 and 1991 and between 1994 and 1998. In total, the former Portuguese international played 401 times in the green and white stripes, scoring 48 goals and providing five assists while wearing the Lion's jersey. Overall, the former midfielder won two Super Cups (1987 and 1995) and one Portuguese Cup (1994/95) with the green and whites. He was also the head coach of the main team for four games in the 2012/13 season, failing to secure any victories.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.