Romania coach in a fix ahead of Swiss clash

PARIS: Romania coach Anghel Iordanescu must decide whether veteran left back Razvan Rat can repel the danger of Xherdan Shaqiri in what could be the defining confrontation

PARIS: Romania coach Anghel Iordanescu must decide whether veteran left back Razvan Rat can repel the danger of Xherdan Shaqiri in what could be the defining confrontation of his team’s Euro 2016 clash with Switzerland on Wednesday.

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The Romanians were crestfallen to lose 2-1 to hosts and favourites France in the dying moments of the tournament opener on Friday, Dimitri Payet’s long-range stunner ending their stout resistance. Iordanescu’s team, which conceded just two goals in qualifying — the best defensive record in the preliminaries — were surprisingly enterprising going forward versus France and should pose even more problems to the Swiss, who beat Albania in their opening match, in their next group A encounter.

But Rat’s form will surely be a concern. The 35-year-old recently returned from a shoulder injury and struggled to cope with the exuberance and trickery of France’s Antoine Griezmann in the first half, while substitute Kingsley Coman’s pace was equally troubling to the Rayo Vallecano defender late on.