Euro 2020 Qualifiers, Romania 1-2 Spain: 5 Talking Points

#2 Puscas, Hagi a clear indication of Romania's future

Puscas was one of Romania's few bright sparks and looked even better once Ianis Hagi was introduced

Romania's persistent danger man George Puscas got his reward just before the hour mark for a tireless display, where he kept Spain's backline busy on the counter-attack while continually posing a threat they needed to be weary of. The 23-year-old forward, formerly of Inter Milan, joined Reading for a reported £10m earlier this summer and started the season with some encouraging form - three goals in six games.

Although failing to add to his goal tally on this occasion, he created the assist for substitute and fellow centre-forward Andone from close-range. It was his clever header back across goal which gifted his teammate a golden opportunity to strike goalwards. Intelligent movement and precise timing near the far post saw him meet Romario Benzar's cross and flick it into a dangerous area, with a booked Ramos slow to react and the Brighton striker (on-loan at Galatasaray) was a grateful beneficiary.

That proved as good as it got for Romania, who were much improved in the second-half and part of that stemmed from the introduction of substitute midfielder Ianis Hagi, son of legendary Gheorghe who watched on from the stands.

The Genk playmaker, 20, replaced Nicolae Stanciu and quickly asserted himself as one of their best players - three key passes (81% completion rate), three duels won, one tackle completed and with only 20 touches, he made his influence felt. His cleverly disguised free-kick should have produced a late equaliser and after an impactful display like this, it's a real shame he didn't start to begin with. If you combine his fearless nature and Puscas' tireless workrate, Romania have serious potential within their young core.