Romania coach Lucescu resigns

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP)—Romania coach Razvan Lucescu resigned Saturday, hours after his team beat Bosnia 3-0 in a qualifier for the 2012 European Championship.

Lucescu was widely criticized in recent months because of Romania’s poor performances in its qualifying campaign.

The Romanian Football Federation announced Lucescu’s resignation in a press release on its website. It said the resignation comes into effect “immediately,” adding that the parting was “amiable, civilized and without any conflict.”

The federation said Romania played 21 matches under Lucescu since June 2009, with seven wins and seven losses. The team is fourth in Group D in Euro 2012 qualifying.

Romania’s players are due to leave Saturday night for South America, where they will play friendlies against Brazil and Paraguay.