Romanian Playoffs: Sepsi & FCSB Draw 2-2
Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe and FCSB Bucharest battled to a 2-2 draw in the sixth round of the Romanian Superliga football playoffs.
Having narrowly avoided defeat to Rapid in the previous match, FCSB were unable to secure victory this time around at Sfântu Gheorghe.
Elias Charalambous's side drew first blood after just nine minutes through Florinel Coman, who was unfortunately forced to leave the field injured shortly thereafter.
The hosts responded quickly, equalising in the 22nd minute thanks to a goal from Roland Varga. David Miculescu, who came on as a substitute for the injured Coman, restored his team's lead in the 34th minute with a well-placed shot into the far corner.
Sepsi refused to be subdued and clawed their way back into the match with an equaliser in the second half. Florin Ștefan capitalised on a poor save from goalkeeper Târnovanu to level the score in the 70th minute.
Farul Constanța Triumphs Over Rapid București 3-1
In another playoff clash, Farul Constanța secured their fourth victory with a convincing 3-1 win over Rapid București at home.
An early goal for Farul was disallowed for offside, but they persevered and eventually opened the scoring through Luis Munteanu in the 40th minute.
The Giuleștiens fought back and managed to equalise on a penalty awarded for handball in the first-half stoppage time. The goal was scored by Albion Rrahmani. However, Gheorghe Hagi's team seized control of the match midway through the second half with two goals in quick succession.
Luca Andronache netted his first goal in the SuperLiga in the 67th minute, and Amine Benchaib sealed the victory for Farul with a shot into the far corner two minutes later.
"This is a positive development," remarked Farul Constanța's coach Gheorghe Hagi. "We have a strong squad with good depth. Things are going well, and we've found our way back to playing our brand of football, which is key to our identity."
"This is a disappointing loss, but it's part of our growth process," said Rapid București's interim coach Bogdan Lobonț. "We will learn from this experience and come back stronger for the next match."
Farul Constanța's win propelled them back into second place in the standings, while Rapid București remained in fifth place, still searching for their first playoff victory.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
