Founded: 1909 UEFA Affiliated: 1954 EURO Appearances: 3 EURO titles: 0 Romania's hopes of making amends for some disappointing years in the early 2000s were hit by the EURO 2008 draw, which put them alongside firm favorites Italy and France in addition to heavyweights Holland. The Tricolors aim to make it beyond the group stage after missing out on a place in EURO 2004, as well as the World Cup two years later. They will have to accomplish a 'mission impossible'. Romania have a very difficult task ahead of them, but coach Victor Piturca remains optimistic his side can leave their own mark. "I am not afraid of Euro. It's already a success that we qualified. We should see Euro 2008 as a celebration. To some extent we have nothing to lose," he said. "But we are not going just to sign in that we were there. We have to show something, to be dignified and if possible to win." Only days will tell whether Romania are really capable of causing a major upset in Austria and Switzerland. Romania's players have backed their coach, stating it would be a mistake to underestimate their team. "Romania have more of a chance than our opponents give us," defender Razvan Rat told reporters at a training camp in Mogosoaia, near Bucharest. "Romania have not got as many great players as Italy and France and even the Netherlands, but the force of our group could make the difference if we have some fortune." History Romania's World Cup participations were not remarkable until the 1990s during which they made a notable impact in the prestigious showpiece. In the 1990 tournament in Italy, Romania reached the second round before being eliminated at the hands of Ireland in a penalty shoot-out.
Four years later, in the United States, a Gheorghe Hagi-inspired side helped Romania reach the World cup quarter-finals in their best ever achievement after ousting Argentina in an epic clash. Romania also managed to advance to the next round in the 1998 World Cup in France. Since then, they have failed to qualify for the tournament. In the European championship, Romania's presence was hardly felt until 2000 when they put in some fine displays in Holland and Belgium. Before taking part in the 2000 tournament, Romania featured in the European championship just twice, in 1984 and 1996, and suffered a first-round exit on both occasions. But in 2000 they surprisingly progressed to the quarter-finals despite being drawn in a very tough group which included Portugal, England and Germany. Romania were knocked out after slumping to a 2-0 defeat to eventual runners-up Italy. Coach: Victor Piturca (Romanian) Piturca began his coaching career with Steaua Bucharest in 1991, one year after announcing his retirement from professional football. He then took charge of Universitatea Craiova in 1994 and helped them finish second in the Romanian League. Two years later, Piturca was appointed as Romania's U-21 coach and guided the team to a European Championship qualification in 1998. A few months later, the 52-year-old was named as Romania's senior team coach. His short spell with his country was a success. Piturca helped Romania qualify for EURO 2000 after an unbeaten run but he didn't have the chance to guide his team during the tournament. He was sacked in December 1999 following a dispute with some senior players, including Gheorghe Hagi and Gheorghe Popescu. Piturca returned for another stint with Steaua afterwards and led them to a Romanian League triumph in 2001. He resigned three years later after an argument with club's president Gigi Becali. He was appointed as Romania coach for the second time in December 2004 and managed to help them reach EURO 2008 after an impressive qualifying campaign in whi Star Player- Adrian Mutu
