All
three Romanian football teams playing in the European Conference League on
Thursday were eliminated from the competition. FCSB traveled to Yerevan for the
return leg against Shakhtar Karaganda of Kazakhstan. FCSB grabbed 1-nil win in
the first leg. Regular time saw Shakhtar Karaganda having a 2-1 lead. Extra time
was still inconclusive, and in the wake of the penalty shootouts Shakhtar
defeated FCSB, 5-3. For the first time ever in a European competition, Sepsi
Sfântu Gheorghe took on Slovakia’s Spartak Trnava at home. The blank draw in
the first leg, the regular time 1-all result, which remained unchanged
throughout extra time, called for the penalty shootouts, when Spartak grabbed a
4-3 win. Universitatea Craiova faced Albanian opponents Laci on home turf. Universitatea
sustained a nil-1 defeat in the first leg, so the blank draw result in the
return leg saw the Albanians making headway into the competition. CFR Cluj are
the only Romanian team left in the competition. In the Champions League’s third
preliminary round, CFR take on Swiss opponents Young Boys Berna.
The coming
weekend will see matches being played, counting towards domestic League One’s
third round. On Friday, Gaz Metan Mediaș are pitted against FC Arges, while Rapid
Bucharest face Farul Constanța. On Saturday, FC Voluntari play a home game
against FC U Craiova, while CFR play Chindia Târgoviște, also at home. On
Sunday, Universitatea Craiova take on FC Botosani at home, while in the western
Romanian town of Arad, the local side UTA face FCSB. The last two fixtures of round three, to be played on Monday, will see Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe taking on CS
Mioveni and Dinamo Bucharest facing Academica Clinceni.
At the
ongoing Olympic games in Tokyo, the rowing competition drew to a close on
Friday. Romania’s women’ s coxed eight crew had no problem winning a medal,
apparently, yet they came in 6th. Romanian rowers’ medal tally so
far includes a gold medal won by the women’s pair crew and the two silver
medals won by the men’s quadruple sculls and coxless pair crews. However,
according to the Olympic rowing rankings, with the three medals won, Romania is
4th-placed.
(Translation by Eugen Nasta)