Sports Weekend
A look at upcoming sporting events
Florin Orban, 23.05.2025, 13:45
This weekend will see the final stage of the Romanian Football Super League group phase. On Friday, in Group 1, FCSB, the team that has already won the championship, will play runner-up CFR Cluj away from home. On Saturday, Universitatea Cluj will play Rapid Bucharest at home, a reiteration of the first encounter between the two teams nearly 100 years ago. On 26 November 1933, in the Romanian championship, in Cluj, Universitatea won 2-1. The second match on Saturday will also be a traditional derby, pitting Universitatea Craiova against Dinamo Bucharest. The two teams were the first in Romania to qualify to the semi-finals of the European Cups. Universitatea managed that in 1983, in the UEFA Cup, whereas Dinamo in 1984, in the European Champions Cup.
The first leg of the play-offs for the Super League relegation or promotion are scheduled for Sunday and Monday. The team that finished the Super League championship in 13th place, Poli Iași, will play, on Sunday, the team that finished the Second League in 5th place, Metaloglobus Bucharest. On Monday, FC Voluntari, who finished the second tier devision in 4th place, will play Unirea Slobozia at home, a team that finished 14th in the Super League. The second leg is scheduled the following week.
Over the weekend, Romania’s artistic gymnastics teams will be in Germany, in Leipzig, where the European Championships is set to start on Monday. Five athletes will compete in the women’s event: Sabrina Voinea, Lilia Cosman, Ella Oprea, Denisa Golgotă and Ana Maria Bărbosu, the bronze medalist in the floor event at last year’s Olympic Games in Paris. In the men’s event, Romania will be represented by Andrei Muntean, Nicolas Ţârcă, Nicolae Bera and Rafael Szabo.
Romanian players have found out their opponents in the opening round of Roland Garros. Anca Todoni, in her first appearance on the main draw at the French Open, will play Jessica Pegula of the USA, world number three. Gabriela Ruse will also play an athlete from the United States, McCartney Kessler. The highest-ranked Romanian in the WTA standings, Jaqueline Cristian, WTA no. 74, will face a similar-ranked Australian, Kimberly Birrell, world number 63. Irina Begu will play Leolia Jeanjean of France, the recipient of a wildcard. Sorana Cîrstea’s opponent, a player advancing from the preliminaries, is yet to be announced. (VP)
