Romania v Switzerland proves Euro revamp still needs a tweak

You could be forgiven for ‘forgetting’ to tune into Romania v Switzerland. It was destined to be forgotten. Two teams, stereotyped by insipid play, that would have benefited from an uneventful bore draw – allowing Switzerland almost certain progress from Group A and leave Romania chasing a plausible win over Albania to follow suit.

For an hour, the doubters were proved wrong. What the game lacked in quality was more than atoned for by the call-and-response from boisterous fans on the terraces and energy on the pitch. Switzerland were composed in possession, with their Xhaka-led midfield creating numerous openings, while Romania looked to counter at pace through Alexandru Chipicui down the left flank.

It was brewing into an unlikely gem with both sides looking menacing. But that all changed when Admir Mehmedi’s fierce drive rippled the net in the 57th minute to draw Switzerland level. Suddenly both sides lost attacking impetus and, sadly, those who skipped viewing duties escaped without regret. If only it had meant more.

[MATCH REPORT: Romania hold on for draw against Switzerland]

The absorber-turned-snoozefest in the French capital highlighted a fatal flaw with the new format. Not the amount of teams, for the tournament has undoubtedly benefited from Hungary, Iceland and co.

But the competition is plagued by its leniency to mediocrity. Sixteen of the 24 teams are plunged into the latter stages. You could quite feasibly lose your opening two matches and still progress. And it’s something Romania manager Anghel Iordanescu was acutely aware of.

“We wanted to finish the game off with the second goal,” he mused in the post-match festivities. “But we were also thinking: ‘if we get one point we will still have a chance to qualify’.”

Neither team was distraught at the full-time whistle. Although both had earned their point with incisive attacking play, it was a result closed out with a 'safety first' approach. One point from your opening two games should not leave qualification in sight, but there are few scenarios that would deny Romania passage into the knockout stage.

It makes it all a shade meaningless. One potential solution is allowing 25 teams into the competition, split them into five groups of five, with only the top two progressing to the quarter-finals. The eventual winners would face the same amount of games, but there would be less excuse for settling for a point in the early stages.

“We’re not here to count points, we’re here to play and win it [the tournament],” Swiss boss Vladimir Petkovic said afterwards. “We can do even more.”

It’s hard to agree with his first statement. The game wound down because Switzerland were aware of their situation, that four points – unlike previous tournaments – would see a team progress barring exceptional circumstances.

Entertainment has been plentiful in France and the new format has made a welcome change. But it’s come at a cost: there’s an absence of significance. And it was no more evident than the final half hour at Parc des Princes.