FK Csíkszereda had no real chance of earning points in Galați, as an early goalkeeping error followed by a spectacular home strike within the first ten minutes sealed the outcome of the match.

FK Csíkszereda had no real chance of earning points in Galați, as an early goalkeeping error followed by a spectacular home strike within the first ten minutes sealed the outcome of the match.

Light rain, gusty winds and temperatures of around 6–7 degrees Celsius set the scene for the encounter. Despite the gloomy weather, only a few thousand Galați supporters chose to spend their Monday evening at the Oțelul stadium. Among them was a small group of FK Csíkszereda fans, who braved both the distance and the elements to support their team on the banks of the Danube.

The match started in nightmare fashion for FK Csíkszereda. In the 5th minute, Pap made an unfortunate clearance straight into Patrick, who calmly rolled the ball into the empty net, giving the hosts an early lead (1–0). Playing from behind almost immediately was not enough trouble on its own: in the 9th minute, Pap produced a fine save to deny Lameira from 11 metres, but just moments later Pedro Nuno unleashed a thunderous strike from 28 metres that flew into the top right corner, doubling Oțelul’s advantage.

Oțelul remained the more dangerous side midway through the first half. In the 21st minute, Pedro Nuno’s cross flashed just inches past Patrick’s foot in front of goal. FK Csíkszereda struggled to find their rhythm as the hosts continued to create chances. Ciobanu volleyed over the bar from 14 metres in the 26th minute, and two minutes later Pap was forced into another fine save after Iacob’s close-range header.

In the 30th minute, the crossbar came to FK Csíkszereda’s rescue twice: first from Ciobanu’s free kick, then from João Paulo’s follow-up effort. Deep into first-half stoppage time, FK Csíkszereda finally had a chance to pull one back, but Bödő’s shot from 16 metres sailed over the bar.

After the break, refereeing decisions also came into focus. In the 48th minute, Anderson was brought down inside the penalty area, but the referee waved play on and VAR did not intervene. Oțelul Galați continued to control proceedings, and in the 57th minute Pedro Nuno headed narrowly over the crossbar from close range following a cross from the left.

The decisive moment arrived in the 65th minute, when Pap attempted to punch away a cross and the referee awarded a penalty, also showing the FK goalkeeper a yellow card. Although VAR summoned the referee to the monitor, the decision stood – apparently due to a preceding foul rather than the punching attempt itself. Lameira converted the penalty confidently in the 68th minute (3–0), effectively securing the win for the hosts.

FK Csíkszereda responded with a triple substitution, handing debuts to Nagy and Gustavo alongside Jebari in an effort to inject new energy into the game. The changes brought some hope of a consolation goal: in the 78th minute, Nagy found himself in a promising position, but his shot was blocked by Zhelev, while Pászka’s long-range effort a minute later failed to trouble the goalkeeper.

In the 80th minute, play was unexpectedly halted due to a floodlight failure, forcing both teams to return to the dressing rooms. After nearly 30 minutes, the match resumed for the remaining ten minutes, but there was no significant change in either the flow of the game or the scoreline. Jebari and Gustavo had a few noteworthy moments, though without real danger.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, FK Csíkszereda head coach Ilyés Róbert said that the match had been decided in the opening ten minutes, after which the hosts gained even more confidence. “Unfortunately, everything we worked on throughout the week became irrelevant. The home side played better, kept us under constant pressure and didn’t allow us to express ourselves. I congratulate them on their victory. We need to regroup – I trust my team, we move on, and I hope we will look much better in the next match,” he stated.

FK Csíkszereda now face a demanding period with two away matches in Bucharest, against FCSB on Sunday and Metaloglobus on Wednesday. Ilyés Róbert intends to give opportunities to other players and hopes to have more options available than in this match. In his view, collecting four points from the two capital city fixtures will be crucial to keep the club’s objectives within reach.

Superliga, Regular Season, Round 23
Oțelul Galați – FK Csíkszereda 3–0 (2–0)
Galați, Oțelul Stadium, approx. 2,500 spectators

Referees: Sorin Dan Vadana, George Florin Neacșu, Alexandru Filip. VAR: Sorin Costreie. AVAR: Mihai Ovidiu Artene. Fourth official: Gabriel Mihuleac

Goalscorers: Patrick (5’), Pedro Nuno (9’), Lameira (68’ – penalty)

Yellow cards: Anderson (34’), Pap (65’), Veres (90+2’)

Oțelul Galați: Dur-Bozoancă Cosmin Andrei – Zhelev Milen, Živulić Diego, Iacob Paul Alexandru, João Paulo Moreira Fernandes – Pedro Nuno Fernandes Ferreira (Christian Kendji Wagatsuma Ferreira 75’), Virgil Andrei Ciobanu (Bruno Lourenço Pinto de Almeida Paz 59’), João Pedro Santos Lameira – Ștefan Daniel Bană (Denis Marian Bordun 75’), André Miguel Pinto Lopes (Dan Emilian Neicu 89’), Fabio Patrick dos Reis dos Santos Fernandes (Gabriel Debeljuh 75’). Head coach: György László Bálint.

FK Csíkszereda: Eduard Adrian Pap – Erwin Szilárd Bloj, Attila Csürös, Arian Kabashi, Loránd Pászka – Bence Végh, Szilárd Veres, Zoltán Efraim Bödő (Darius Bota 78’) – Anderson Ceará (Soufiane Jebari 69’), Szabolcs Szalay (Gustavo dos Santos Cabral 69’), Márton Eppel (Zoárd Nagy 69’). Head coach: Róbert Ilyés.

Rédai Attila