Romania midfielder Mirel Rădoi is set to miss the rest of UEFA EURO 2008 after being told he will have to wait at least a fortnight before he can resume training after facial surgery.
Painful collision
The 27-year-old FC Steaua Bucureşti player broke his nose and a bone underneath his left eye following a collision with team-mate Răzvan Rat during Friday’s 1-1 draw with Italy in Group C. Rădoi will undergo surgery tomorrow to repair the damage but a spokesman for the Romanian national side said the team doctor has told the player he will be sidelined for at least two weeks, effectively ruling him out of the rest of a tournament which concludes on 29 June.

Romania striker Ciprian Marica was taken to hospital after sustaining a head injury during a practice game in a training session…

Romania threw open the doors of their training camp on Tuesday but the session ended badly for Ciprian Marica following a clash of heads with team-mate Marius Niculae.

Precautionary measure
The VfB Stuttgart forward suffered a cut to his head and was taken to hospital having first received treatment for several minutes from Romania medical staff, making him an early doubt for Friday’s game against Italy. It represented an unfortunate end to the first open session that Victor Piţurcă’s squad have held since arriving in St Gallen – one that drew several hundred Tricolorii supporters to the AFG Arena. According to a Romanian Football Federation (FRF) spokesman, the session was a thank you to the fans for their "tremendous" support during Monday’s goalless draw with France: "They have travelled a long way from Romania and spent a lot of money to be here and this is our way of thanking them for their support."

To the wire
Defender Cosmin Contra described the Romania supporters as "our 12th man" as he reflected on the point gained against France in their Group C opener. Contra said: "They really got behind us last night and it was good to see some of them here again today. We are happy after the draw with France because it was so important not to lose the first game and we’ve now given ourselves a chance to qualify [for the quarter-finals]. We will try to create more chances against Italy but already it looks as though this group will go to the final day."

‘Fantastic’
The FRF, meanwhile, has confirmed the team will hold another open training session at the AFG Arena this Saturday. "It’s fantastic to see the players close up like this," Dacian Todoron from Transylvania said. "I was at the game last night in Zurich and there was a really good atmosphere. We also had a good result and now we’re looking forward to playing the next game against Italy. It was important not to lose the first game and I think we have a chance of going through now."

Romania have been boosted by the news that defender Dorin Goian has been passed fit to play in UEFA EURO 2008.

Fears ease
The FC Steaua Bucureşti centre-back suffered tendon damage to his right heel during Friday’s 4-0 friendly win over Montenegro and was considered doubtful for Monday’s opening Group C match against France in Zurich. However, Goian’s condition has since improved and he looks likely to retain his place against Les Bleus after passing medical tests. The 27-year-old was a key figure for Victor Piţurcă’s side in qualifying, making nine appearances and scoring twice, including the vital strike in Romania’s 1-0 home victory over the Netherlands last October. Romania face Marco van Basten’s team again in their final group fixture on 17 June, four days after they take on FIFA World Cup holders Italy.