Sports weekend

The latest from football, foreign and domestic

Florin Orban, 22.07.2022, 13:45

Four Romanian football teams on Thursday played their scheduled games as part of the Conference League’s European competition. Two of the teams won their confrontations, one team
succeeded a draw, while the fourth team sustained a defeat, away from home. Emerging
as winners were the teams that played their home fixtures. Holders CFR Cluj defeated
Andorra’s Inter Club d’Escaldes, 3-nil. Scoring for
CFR was the Spaniard Jefte
Betancor, who on 5 minutes turned a penalty kick into a goal. Then CFR’s
Croatian footballer scored again, in minute 38, while Inter Club d’Escaldes’s only
Romanian footballer, Raul Feher, scored an own goal in minute 84. If they advance to the competition’s further stage,
CFR Cluj play Shakhtar Soligorsk of Belarus.

Romanian Cup winners, Sepsi
Sfântu Gheorghe, succeeded a 3-1 home win against Olimpija Ljubljana of
Slovenia, coming from behind when the guests already had a 1-nil lead on the
pitch. Late into the first half Marius Stefanescu scored Sepsi’s first goal, then
Nicolae Paun scored the second goal in minute 84, while Olimpija’s Austrian
player Mateo Haramatic scored an own goal in added time. However, the
qualification will be decided in Slovenia this coming Thursday. If they make
headway into the competition, Sepsi will next play Rijeka of Croatia or Djurgaardens
of Sweden. In the first leg, the Swedish team grabbed a 2-1 away win. In Shkodër, Universitatea Craiova drew against Albanian
team Vllaznia, 1-all. Late into the first half Universitatea’s
Andrei Ivan scored the opener. The guest team wasted a lot of other
opportunities to score while Vllaznia’s Ardit Hohxaj took advantage of his
team’s only scoring opportunity and provided the equalizer on 51 minutes. If they advance to the competition’s further stage, Universitatea
Craiova face Ukrainian team Zarya Lugansk. Utterly disappointing was FCSB’s
nil-1 defeat by Georgian opponents Saburtalo, away from home. The game’s only
goal was scored by Levan Nonikashvili in minute 40. If they succeed a
comfortable win in the return leg, FCSB will next take on Faeroe team Vikingur
or Slovakia’s Dunajska Streda, in the Conference League’s third preliminary
round. In the first leg, Dunajska won 2-nil, away from home.

Matches
counting towards the Romanian football Superleague’s second round are scheduled
at the weekend. On Friday, CS Mioveni play Farul Constanța. On Saturday, FC
Voluntari are pitted against FC Botoșani in Mioveni. On Sunday, at noon, Sepsi
Sfantu Gheorghe play a home fixture against F C Arges. Also on home turf, FC U
Craiova takes on CFR Cluj. Then in Cluj, Universitatea Cluj face Universitatea
Craiova. On Sunday night, in Romanian football’s all-time derby, Rapid
București play FCSB, The second round’s last two fixtures are scheduled on
Monday, when Chindia Târgoviște face FC Hermannstadt and UTA Arad play Petrolul
Ploiești. (EN)