Radio România Internațional

Tag: draw

  • Radio Romania International Sports club

    Radio Romania International Sports club

    Romanian football team FCSB is that close to succeeding a performance which is an absolute first for Romanian football: the qualification to the quarterfinals of a European competition in a new format. Since the Champions League, Europa League then Conference League have replaced the former European Cups, the longest trail of a Romanian football team ended at the round of 16.

    It happened in 2013, when Steaua Bucharest, in Europa League’s round of 16, was defeated by Chelsea, the trophy holders at that time. We recall Steaua won in the first leg, 1-nil, in Bucharest, then sustained a 1-3 defeat on Stamford Bridge. Since 2017, Steaua has become FCSB.

    On Thursday, holders FCSB play the first leg against French team Olympique Lyonnais. FCSB have recently gone past the competitions’ playoffs, defeating Greek opponents PAOK Thessalonica, 2-1, away and 2-nil, at home.

    Olympique Lyonnais have advanced straight to the round of 16, having been 6th-placed in the main group phase. The French team’s record is made of four wins, three draws and only one defeat. Their record is not spectacularly better than FCSB’s record, made of four wins, two draws and two defeats. What made the difference was Olympique Lyonnais’ 4-1 win against Glasgow Rangers on Ibrox park on October 3rd. We recall on October 25th Glasgow rangers trounced FCSB, 4-nil.

    At present, one round ahead of the end of the regular season, holders FCSB are at the top of the table according to the Superleague’s ranking, having one point more than Universitatea Craiova, the team FCSB will confront this coming Sunday. In this past weekend’s round, the match pitting FCSB against Rapid Bucharest ended in a blank draw; FCSB were one man shy on the pitch for almost 60 minutes.

    In the French first League, after 24 rounds, Olympique Lyonnais are 6th-placed, On Sunday, Portuguese head-coach Palo Fonseca’s trainees grabbed a 2-1 home win against Brest, the team that in 2025 represented France in the Champions League.

    In the French championship’s last five fixtures, Olympique sustained only two defeats, by top of the table team Paris Saint-Germain and the runner-up team Olympique Marseille.

  • Sports weekend

    Sports weekend

    The international women’s handball inter-club competition season will be resumed at the weekend. Three Romanian teams compete in the Champions League. In Group B, Rapid Bucharest on Sunday play French opponents Brest Bretagne, away. Rapid are not the favorites for the group-winner position, given that Brest Bretagne stand real chances to be at the top of the table or second-placed in Group B, thus booking their ticket for a straight participation to the quarterfinals.

    Brest Bretagne are now 4th-placed in the Group, with 10 points in five wins. With three points, Rapid are 7th-placed, the last-but-one position in Group B. Rapid’s record is made of one win, one draw and six defeats, according to the fixtures they’ve played so far. We recall in October in Bucharest Brest Bretagne won, 34 to 31.

    In Group A, the first team to resume participation in the League is Gloria Bistriţa-Năsăud. Head-coached by Florentin Pera, who is also the head-coach of the national team, Gloria take on Norway’s Storhamar on home turf, this coming Saturday. Gloria and Storhamar are placed in Group A’s lower echelon. With a mere four points in eight games, Gloria are 7th-placed, the last-but-one position in the group. Storhamar are 6th-placed, having one point more than Gloria.

    The direct match pitting Gloria against Storhamar in Norway, in October, 2024, made the difference since Storhamar won, 25-23. We recall that in May 2024 Gloria Bistrita and Storhamar played the EHF European League final. Back then Storhamar won, 29 to 27.
    CSM Bucharest is the other Romanian team playing in the Champions League’s Group A. This coming Sunday, CSM play an away game against top-of-the-table team Metz Handball of France. In Bucharest, Metz won by the narrowest of margins, 31 to 30. Metz are the only team with a win-all record in the League’s ongoing season. CSM had a rather bumpy run this past fall.

    With four wins and four defeats and 8 points, CSM are 4th-placed, on a par with 3rd-placed team, Krim Ljubljana. We recall that after 14 rounds of the group phase, the first two teams in each group advance to the quarterfinals. 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th-placed teams will engage in playoff matches in a bid to secure a place in the quarterfinals, while 7th and 8th-placed teams will be eliminated.

    The EHF European League group fixtures are also scheduled at the weekend. On Saturday, in Group A, Dunărea Brăila play a home game against Spanish opponents Elche. The other Group A teams are Germany’s Thüringer and Norwegian squad Larvik. The other Romanian team, SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea, on Sunday play an away Group B game against Germany’s Borussia Dortmund. Also part of the League’s Group B are Ikast of Denmark and Sola of Norway.

  • Sports weekend

    Sports weekend

    Attention-grabbing this coming weekend is the football match pitting Romania against Cyprus. The game will be played in Larnaca and counts towards the third round of the Nations league’ third tier, Group C2. Media in Bucharest has mentioned that roughly 4,000 Romanian supporters are expected to go the stadium, given that the arena playing host to the game has a seating capacity of 8,000 seats.

    The Romania national squad is fresh from two winning confrontations in the Nations League’s first two rounds in September. We recall Romania won the game against Kosovo, 3-nil away, also winning the match against Lithuania at home, 3-1. In the first round, Cyprus defeated Lithuania away from home, 1-nil, then sustained a nil-4 home defeat by Kosovo. The history of the direct confrontations between Cyprus and Romania includes 9 wins for Romania, 3 draws and a win for Cyprus. Head-coach Mircea Lucescu’s trainees’ set target is to obtain six points in two games

    Matches counting towards the Champions League in women’s handball are scheduled at the weekend. In Group A on Saturday, Gloria Bistriţa-Năsăud play a home game against Croatia’s Podravka Koprivnica. According to the as-it-stands table, Gloria are 5th-placed, with two points. With zero points on their record sheet, Podravka and Denmark’s Nykøbing Falster are at the bottom of the table. CSM Bucharest play an away game in Ljubljana, against Krim. Holders CSM are 4th-placed with three wins and one defeat so far. Krim are 2nd-placed, after four consecutive wins.

    In Group B, Rapid Bucharest on Sunday play an away game against Danish team Odense. Rapid have won their first match in the group, against Buducnost Podgorica, at home, and drew against Vipers Kristiansand, away. Then Rapid went no less than eight goals down in the home game against Ludwigsburg, then away from home, Denmark’s Team Esbjerg were seven goals clear in the match against Rapid Bucharest.

    Notwithstanding, Rapid are highly likely to get back into shape: we recall that in the domestic championship this past Wednesday, Romania’s vice-champions trounced SCM Universitatea Craiova, 26 to 17. Also on Sunday, in Europe’s second tier league the EHF European League, in a match counting towards the second preliminary round, Sport Club Municipal Râmnicu Vâlcea play the second leg against Slovak team Dunajská Streda. In the first leg, the Romanian team, won, 28-26.

  • Sports flash

    Romanian women’s
    basketball team Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe sustained a 61-71 home defeat by Spanish
    opponents Valencia Basket Club, The fixture counted towards Group A as part of women’s
    basketball Euro league. A first timer among European basketball’s first-tier teams,
    holders Sepsi are 7th placed according to Group A tables, with 13 points
    in 11 games, the same as 8th-placed, bottom-of-the-table Polish team
    Lublin. Sepsi’s next fixture is the away confrontation against Hungarian side
    Miskolc on January 18.


    In men’s
    basketball, in EuroCup’s Group B, U-BT Cluj-Napoca has succeeded its 10th victory,
    securing a 90-74 home win against Greek opponents Aris Thessalonicca. Holders
    U-BT have maintained their 3trd position in the group and will next play an
    away match against Germany’s ratiopharm Ulm.


    In FIBA Europe
    Cup, CSM CSU Oradea sustained an 81-101 away defeat by Italian challengers
    Varese, in a fixture counting towards the competition’s Group N. Romanian
    vice-champions have lost their second fixture in a row. According to group A’s tables,
    German team Chemnitz are at the top, with 6 points. The other three teams in
    the Group, Varese, CSM CSU Oradea and Low Countries’ Leiden have 4 points each.


    Romania’ s men national handball team on Friday plays its debut fixture
    as part of the European Championship in Germany. In Mannheim, Romanian goes
    against Austria in a Group B fixture. On Sunday, Romania takes on Spain, then
    on Tuesday, Romania plays Croatia. EURO 2024 kick-started on Wednesday, with Group
    A fixtures.


    In Düsseldorf, France outclassed North Macedonia, 39 to 29, while Germany
    defeated Switzerland, 27 – 14. After a 28-year gap, Romania has regained its
    place among the teams vying for a top position in Europe. Romania last participated
    in a European championship in Spain, in 1996, when our national squad was 9th-placed.


    For the
    Romanian Super League football teams, winter training sessions are in full swing.
    On Wednesday, in Turkey’s Antalya, FC Voluntari defeated Azeri opponents Turan
    Tovuz, 2-nil, while Universitatea Craiova drew against fourth-league German
    team Greifswalder, 1-all. Also on Wednesday, in Hungary, UTA Arad defeated Hungarian
    second-league team FC Ajka.



  • Sports weekend

    Sports weekend

    Three Romanian football teams this past Thursday advanced to the European Competition Conference Leagues third preliminary round. Farul Constanţa secured its qualification in Yerevan defeating Armenias title holders Urartu, 3-2. Urartu had a 2-nil advantage at half time, yet Farul Constanta came from behind and scored, through Dragoş Nedelcu, in minute 53 and through Denis Alibec, in minutes 57 and 92. We recall than in Ovidiu, in the first leg of the tie against Urartu, Farul had also won, 3-2. Farul Constanta will next play Estonias title holders, Flora Tallinn.



    Romanian Cup winners, Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe, secured a 4-nil win against ŢSKA Sofia. Scoring for Sepsi were Cosmin Matei on minute 19, when the Romanian turned a penalty kick into a goal, Croatian Adnan Aganovic on 70 minutes, Roland Varga, in minute 90, and Sepsis Albanian footballer Isnik Alimi, who in extra time turned a penalty kick into a goal. In the first leg in Sofia, Sepsi had also won, 2-nil. In the Conference Leagues third preliminary round, Sepsi are pitted against Aktobe of Kazakhstan.



    FCSB is the third Romanian team to have advanced to the third preliminary round, winning both legs of the tie against ŢSKA 1948, 1-0 nil and 3-2, respectively, yet the win was definitely a heart-throbbing one since in Bucharest, the Bulgarian opponents has a 2-1 advantage during the game. On Thursday, scoring for FCSB were Croat Damian Djokovic on minutes 27 and 82, and Octavian Popescu, who sealed the fate of the match in extra time. FCSB will next take on Denmarks vice-champions, FC Nordsjaelland.



    The fourth Romanian team that played in the Conference league, CFR Cluj, lost on aggregate, after a 1-all home result and a 1-2 defeat away, against Turkeys Adana Demirspor. CFRs Vasile Mogos turned a penalty kick into a goal on 68 minutes.



    The coming weekend will see matches being played, counting towards the Romanian football Super leagues 4th round. On Friday, UTA are pitted against Poli Iaşi while Universitatea Craiova face Hermannstadt. On Saturday, FC U Craiova play an away game against FC Botoşani, while in Medias, Universitatea Cluj face Dinamo Bucureşti. On Sunday, in Ploiesti, the local side Petrolul take on Farul Constanţa, while on Steaua stadium in Bucharest, FCSB are pitted against CFR Cluj. On Monday, Sepsi Sfintu Gheorghe play Oţelul Galaţi, while FC Voluntari face Rapid Bucureşti. In the as-it-stands table, FCSB, are at the top, with 9 points. With 7 points each, CFR and Sepsi follow.




  • Radio Romania International Sports club

    Radio Romania International Sports club

    The Wimbledon Tennis Tournament
    is underway in England. It is arguably the most exquisite
    competition of the entire professional schedule, mainly due to its history. The
    lawn-only tournament is actually the world’s oldest such event. The maiden
    edition was held in 1877. It was a gentlemen-only event: back then the winner
    was Spencer Gore. Attending the final were roughly 200 fans who paid one
    shilling each to be there. In the course of the 130 years that have passed since
    the tournament’s inaugural edition, the event has seen a thoroughgoing change,
    yet many elements part of the initial regulations system are still in place.
    Today the prize money is somewhere to the tune of one million Euro all told. However,
    the strict dress code is still in place, with the competitors having to dress in
    white, almost completely.


    Of all Romanian tennis
    players, it is only Simona Halep who saw her name on the list of winners at
    Wimbledon. Halep won the lawn final in 2019. Back then Halep grabbed a 6-2, 6-2
    win against the greatest tennis player of the early 21stst century, Serena Williams. Halep succeeded an uncompromising straight-set win. In her blazing trail at
    Wimbledon, Simona Halep outperformed Alyeksandra
    Sasnovich, Mihaela Buzărnescu, Victoria Azarenka, Cori Gauff, Shuai Zhang and Elina
    Svitolina. As part of the 2019 edition of the Wimbledon tournament, Halep lost only
    one set, in the fixture against her fellow Romanian, Mihaela Buzărnescu.


    In the men’s version of the Wimbledon tournament,
    the Romanians made history five decades ago. We recall Ilie Nastase twice reached
    the final: in 1972, when Stan Smith succeeded a hard-fought win against the Romanian,
    in five sets, and in 1976, when Nastase conceded defeat to Sweden’s Björn Borg.


    In 2023, Romania is
    represented in the main draw only in the women’s version of the tournament. The
    first tennis plyer to have entered the competition, WTA 57th-placed Ana
    Bogdan, provided the first pleasant surprise, grabbing a 7-6, 7-6 win against WTA
    15th-placed and 15th-seeded at Wimbledon, Russia’s
    Lyudmila Samsonova.




  • Radio Romania International Sports club

    Radio Romania International Sports club

    The Wimbledon Tennis Tournament
    is underway these days in England. It is arguably the most exquisite
    competition of the entire professional schedule, mainly due to its history. The
    lawn-only tournament is actually the world’s oldest such event. The maiden
    edition was held in 1877. It was a gentlemen-only event: back then the winner
    was Spencer Gore. Attending the final were roughly 200 fans who paid one
    shilling each to be there. In the course of the 130 years that have passed since
    the tournament’s inaugural edition, the event has seen a thoroughgoing change,
    yet many elements as part of the initial regulations system are still in place.
    Today the prize money is somewhere to the tune of one million Euro all told. However,
    the strict dress code is still in place, with the competitors having to dress in
    white, almost completely.


    Of all Romanian tennis
    players, it is only Simona Halep who saw her name on the list of winners at
    Wimbledon. Halep won the lawn final in 2019. Back then Halep grabbed a 6-2, 6-2
    win against the greatest tennis player early into the 21st century.
    Halep succeeded an uncompromising straight-set win. In her blazing trail at
    Wimbledon, Simona Halep outperformed Alyeksandra
    Sasnovich, Mihaela Buzărnescu, Victoria Azarenka, Cori Gauff, Shuai Zhang and Elina
    Svitolina. As part of the 2019 edition of the Wimbledon tournament, Halep lost only
    one set, in the fixture against her fellow Romanian, Mihaela Buzărnescu.


    In the men’s version of the Wimbledon tournament,
    the Romanians made history five decades ago. We recall Ilie Nastase twice reached
    the final: in 1972, when Stan Smith had a hard-fought win against the Romanian,
    in five sets, and in 1976, when Nastase conceded defeat to Sweden’s Björn Borg.


    In 2023, Romania is
    represented in the main draw only in the women’s version of the tournament. The
    first tennis plyer to have entered the competition, WTA 57th-placed Ana
    Bogdan provided the first pleasant surprise, grabbing a 7-6, 7-6 win against WTA
    15th-placed and 15th-seeded at Wimbledon, Russia’s
    Lyudmila Samsonova.




  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup


    The European Wrestling Championships hosted by Croatian capital city Zagreb drew to close on Sunday. The Romanian delegation walked away with five medals, that is one medal more than the delegations record at the 2022 edition of the European championships held in Budapest. Andreea Ana in the 55-kilogram category, and Alexandra Anghel, in the 72-kilogram category, stepped onto the highest step of the podium. Bronze went to Cătălina Axente, in the 76-kilogram category, Kriszta Incze, in the 65-kilogram category and to Greek-Roman wrestler Denis Mihai, in the 55-kilogram category.



    In Armenias Yerevan, the Romanian delegation won 14 medals at the recently-held European weightlifting Championships that drew to a close on Sunday. Three gold medals each went to Mihaela Cambei, in the 49-kilogram category, Andreea Cotruţa, in the 55-kilogram category and Loredana Toma, in the 71-kilogram category, in the snatch, clean and jerk style and combined, while in the 45-kilogram category, Cosmina Pană walked away with silver in the snatch style and combined. In the mens version of the competition, competing in the 55-kilogram category, Valentin Iancu won silver in the clean and jerk style and bronze in the snatch style, and combined. We recall that in 2022 Romania did not participate in the European Championships held in Tirana. Back then the Romanian Weightlifting Federation was suspended following violation of anti-doping rules by some of its athletes.



    In news from womens handball, CSM Bucureşti are the new title holders. CSM were granted the title having won the away pending game against Dunarea Braila, 29 to 24. The fixture counted towards the domestic championships 23rd round. CSM Bucharest are thus 15 points clear of the 2022 champions, this years runner-up team, Rapid Bucharest. No team can thus come from behind and outperform CSM in the championships remaining rounds until the end of the season. In the Champions League later this week, CSM and Rapid play their first leg as part of the quarterfinals tie. Rapid receive the visit of the 2022 winners of the League, Norways Vipers Kristiansand, while CSM travel to Demark for a game against Team Esbjerg.



    This past weekend saw matches being played, counting towards the Group 1/Group 2 stage as part of the Romanian football Superleagues 5th round. In Group 1 on Friday, Universitatea Craiova grabbed a 2-1 away win against Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe. In Ovidiu on Saturday, Farul Constanţa defeated CFR Cluj, 1-nil, while on Sunday, Rapid Bucharest, grabbed a 1-nil home win against FCSB. Farul are at the top of the table, with 42 points, followed by CFR, with 38 and FCSB, with 37 points.



    In Group 2 on Saturday, FC Hermannstadt Sibiu grabbed a 2-1 home win against FC Argeş, while FC Botoşani were held to a blank draw by FC U Craiova at home. In Ploiesti on Sunday, Chindia Tirgoviste succeeded a 2-1 win against UTA Arad.




  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup


    The European Wrestling Championships hosted by Croatian capital city Zagreb drew to close on Sunday. The Romanian delegation walked away with five medals, that is one medal more than the delegations record at the 2022 edition of the European championships held in Budapest. Andreea Ana in the 55-kilogram category, and Alexandra Anghel, in the 72-kilogram category, stepped onto the highest step of the podium. Bronze went to Cătălina Axente, in the 76-kilogram category, Kriszta Incze, in the 65-kilogram category and to Greek-Roman wrestler Denis Mihai, in the 55-kilogram category.



    In Armenias Yerevan, the Romanian delegation won 14 medals at the recently-held European weightlifting Championships that drew to a close on Sunday. Three gold medals each went to Mihaela Cambei, in the 49-kilogram category, Andreea Cotruţa, in the 55-kilogram category and Loredana Toma, in the 71-kilogram category, in the snatch, clean and jerk style and combined, while in the 45-kilogram category, Cosmina Pană walked away with silver in the snatch style and combined. In the mens version of the competition, competing in the 55-kilogram category, Valentin Iancu won silver in the clean and jerk style and bronze in the snatch style, and combined. We recall that in 2022 Romania did not participate in the European Championships held in Tirana. Back then the Romanian Weightlifting Federation was suspended following violation of anti-doping rules by some of its athletes.



    In news from womens handball, CSM Bucureşti are the new title holders. CSM were granted the title having won the away pending game against Dunarea Braila, 29 to 24. The fixture counted towards the domestic championships 23rd round. CSM Bucharest are thus 15 points clear of the 2022 champions, this years runner-up team, Rapid Bucharest. No team can thus come from behind and outperform CSM in the championships remaining rounds until the end of the season. In the Champions League later this week, CSM and Rapid play their first leg as part of the quarterfinals tie. Rapid receive the visit of the 2022 winners of the League, Norways Vipers Kristiansand, while CSM travel to Demark for a game against Team Esbjerg.



    This past weekend saw matches being played, counting towards the Group 1/Group 2 stage as part of the Romanian football Superleagues 5th round. In Group 1 on Friday, Universitatea Craiova grabbed a 2-1 away win against Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe. In Ovidiu on Saturday, Farul Constanţa defeated CFR Cluj, 1-nil, while on Sunday, Rapid Bucharest, grabbed a 1-nil home win against FCSB. Farul are at the top of the table, with 42 points, followed by CFR, with 38 and FCSB, with 37 points.



    In Group 2 on Saturday, FC Hermannstadt Sibiu grabbed a 2-1 home win against FC Argeş, while FC Botoşani were held to a blank draw by FC U Craiova at home. In Ploiesti on Sunday, Chindia Tirgoviste succeeded a 2-1 win against UTA Arad.




  • Sports roundup

    Sports roundup


    Romanian women’s national handball team has made a giant leap forward towards the qualification to the World Championship, In the first leg as part of the qualifiers’ playoff tie. This past Saturday in Pitesti, Cristina Neagu and her teammates trounced the national team of Portugal, 35-20. The Romanian national squad’s most efficient scorers were Sorina Grozav, with 7 goals, then there were Nicoleta Dinca and Cristina Neagu, with 6 goals each. The second leg is scheduled on April 21st in Paredes. The final tournament will be jointly hosted by Denmark, Norway and Sweden, over November 20 and December 17. Romania is the only team to have participated in all editions of the World championship in women’s handball.



    In the WTA 250 tennis tournament in Bogota, an event with 260 thousand USD in prize money all told, this past Saturday Irina Bara and Sara Errani conceded a hard-fought defeat in the women’s doubles semifinals. The Romanian-Italian pair were overpowered by the Russian-Belarussian pair made of Irina Hromaceva and Irina Şimanovici, 6-3, 3-6,14-12. Şimanovici and Hromaceva eventually won the tournament, For their advancing to the semifinals, Bara and Errani were handed a cheque worth 4,020 USD and were granted 110 points in the WTA doubles’ rankings.



    In Romania’s national Swimming Championships hosted this past Saturday by the town of Otopeni, David Popovici won six finals. Popovici came in 1st in the 50m, 100m and 400m freestyle events, in the 100m backstroke, in the 50m and 100m butterfly events, setting a national record in the last two events. Also, in the 100m freestyle, for which he is a world record holder, Popovici has already met the set qualifiers target ahead of the 2024 edition of the Olympic Games.



    This coming weekend will see matches being played, counting towards the third round as part of domestic football championship’s Group1/Group 2 stage. In Group 1 on Saturday, in Ovidiu, in the south-east, Farul Constanţa defeated Universitatea Craiova, 3-2, while on Sunday in Cluj, the match pitting CFR against FCSB ended in a 1-all draw. On Monday, Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe take on Rapid Bucharest. Farul are the leader in the rankings, with 39 points, followed by CFR Cluj, with 35.



    In Group 2 on Saturday, UTA Arad were held to a 1-all draw in the away fixture they played against FC Voluntari, while FC U Craiova grabbed a 3-1 home win against Universitatea Cluj. In Ploiesti on Sunday, FC Hermannstadt defeated Chindia Târgovişte, 2-1, while FC Botoşani grabbed a 1-nil home win against FC Argeş. With 28 points, FC U Craiova are at the top of the Group 2 table. They are followed by Petrolul Ploiesti, with 24.




  • Sports roundup

    Sports roundup


    Romanian women’s national handball team has made a giant leap forward towards the qualification to the World Championship, In the first leg as part of the qualifiers’ playoff tie. This past Saturday in Pitesti, Cristina Neagu and her teammates trounced the national team of Portugal, 35-20. The Romanian national squad’s most efficient scorers were Sorina Grozav, with 7 goals, then there were Nicoleta Dinca and Cristina Neagu, with 6 goals each. The second leg is scheduled on April 21st in Paredes. The final tournament will be jointly hosted by Denmark, Norway and Sweden, over November 20 and December 17. Romania is the only team to have participated in all editions of the World championship in women’s handball.



    In the WTA 250 tennis tournament in Bogota, an event with 260 thousand USD in prize money all told, this past Saturday Irina Bara and Sara Errani conceded a hard-fought defeat in the women’s doubles semifinals. The Romanian-Italian pair were overpowered by the Russian-Belarussian pair made of Irina Hromaceva and Irina Şimanovici, 6-3, 3-6,14-12. Şimanovici and Hromaceva eventually won the tournament, For their advancing to the semifinals, Bara and Errani were handed a cheque worth 4,020 USD and were granted 110 points in the WTA doubles’ rankings.



    In Romania’s national Swimming Championships hosted this past Saturday by the town of Otopeni, David Popovici won six finals. Popovici came in 1st in the 50m, 100m and 400m freestyle events, in the 100m backstroke, in the 50m and 100m butterfly events, setting a national record in the last two events. Also, in the 100m freestyle, for which he is a world record holder, Popovici has already met the set qualifiers target ahead of the 2024 edition of the Olympic Games.



    This coming weekend will see matches being played, counting towards the third round as part of domestic football championship’s Group1/Group 2 stage. In Group 1 on Saturday, in Ovidiu, in the south-east, Farul Constanţa defeated Universitatea Craiova, 3-2, while on Sunday in Cluj, the match pitting CFR against FCSB ended in a 1-all draw. On Monday, Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe take on Rapid Bucharest. Farul are the leader in the rankings, with 39 points, followed by CFR Cluj, with 35.



    In Group 2 on Saturday, UTA Arad were held to a 1-all draw in the away fixture they played against FC Voluntari, while FC U Craiova grabbed a 3-1 home win against Universitatea Cluj. In Ploiesti on Sunday, FC Hermannstadt defeated Chindia Târgovişte, 2-1, while FC Botoşani grabbed a 1-nil home win against FC Argeş. With 28 points, FC U Craiova are at the top of the Group 2 table. They are followed by Petrolul Ploiesti, with 24.




  • Sports flash

    Sports flash


    Romania has walked away with eight medals at the European Cadet and Juniors Fencing Championships that drew to a close in Estonian capital city Tallin on Tuesday. In the cadet version of the competition, the Romanian fencers won gold in the women’s teams sabre event and silver in the men’s teams event. Silver also went to Amalia Covaliu, in the individual women’s sabre event and to Casian Cidu, in the men’s event. Anastasia Fusea also stepped onto the third step of the podium in the women’s sabre event, winning bronze. In the Juniors’ version of the Championships, the tally was made of three medals. The men’s sabre team won gold, Amalia Stan won bronze in the women’s sabre event, and also bronze went to Casian Cidu, in the men’s sabre event. Romania entered 42 fencers in the competition, for all categories.



    At the World Artistic Gymnastics Cup in Qatar’s Doha this past Wednesday, after the first day of the qualifiers, the Romanian gymnast Sabrina Maneca Voinea secured a place in the vault final. Qualifiers are also held on Thursday, while the finals are scheduled on Friday and Saturday.



    In Turkyie’s Istanbul, the European Indoor Athletics Championships are held from Thursday and all through to Sunday. A 14-strong Romanian delegation takes part in the competition, with seven women and seven men competing. The Championships bring together almost 600 athletes from 47 countries. At the most recent edition of the indoor European championships held in the Polish city of Torun, in 2021, the best Romanian performance was provided by Daniela Stanciu who came in 5th in the high-jump event.



    In news from football, matches counting towards Romanian Super League’s 28th round have been scheduled this week. On Tuesday, in Sibiu, Universitatea Cluj defeated FC Hermannstadt, 1-nil. In Ploiesti, Chindia Târgovişte held FC U Craiova to a blank draw, while in Ovidiu in the south-east, Farul Constanţa defeated Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe, 2-nil. On Wednesday, FC Voluntari defeated Dacia Mioveni, 3-nil, away from home, Universitatea Craiova grabbed a home win against FC Argeş, 1-nil, while Rapid Bucureşti defeated FC Botoşani, 2-1, away from home, Farul are the leader, with 61 points, while CFR are 2nd-placed, with 56. (EN)




  • Sports flash

    Sports flash


    Romania has walked away with eight medals at the European Cadet and Juniors Fencing Championships that drew to a close in Estonian capital city Tallin on Tuesday. In the cadet version of the competition, the Romanian fencers won gold in the women’s teams sabre event and silver in the men’s teams event. Silver also went to Amalia Covaliu, in the individual women’s sabre event and to Casian Cidu, in the men’s event. Anastasia Fusea also stepped onto the third step of the podium in the women’s sabre event, winning bronze. In the Juniors’ version of the Championships, the tally was made of three medals. The men’s sabre team won gold, Amalia Stan won bronze in the women’s sabre event, and also bronze went to Casian Cidu, in the men’s sabre event. Romania entered 42 fencers in the competition, for all categories.



    At the World Artistic Gymnastics Cup in Qatar’s Doha this past Wednesday, after the first day of the qualifiers, the Romanian gymnast Sabrina Maneca Voinea secured a place in the vault final. Qualifiers are also held on Thursday, while the finals are scheduled on Friday and Saturday.



    In Turkyie’s Istanbul, the European Indoor Athletics Championships are held from Thursday and all through to Sunday. A 14-strong Romanian delegation takes part in the competition, with seven women and seven men competing. The Championships bring together almost 600 athletes from 47 countries. At the most recent edition of the indoor European championships held in the Polish city of Torun, in 2021, the best Romanian performance was provided by Daniela Stanciu who came in 5th in the high-jump event.



    In news from football, matches counting towards Romanian Super League’s 28th round have been scheduled this week. On Tuesday, in Sibiu, Universitatea Cluj defeated FC Hermannstadt, 1-nil. In Ploiesti, Chindia Târgovişte held FC U Craiova to a blank draw, while in Ovidiu in the south-east, Farul Constanţa defeated Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe, 2-nil. On Wednesday, FC Voluntari defeated Dacia Mioveni, 3-nil, away from home, Universitatea Craiova grabbed a home win against FC Argeş, 1-nil, while Rapid Bucureşti defeated FC Botoşani, 2-1, away from home, Farul are the leader, with 61 points, while CFR are 2nd-placed, with 56. (EN)




  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

    Romanian
    women’ s handball team CSM Bucharest have made a giant leap forward, towards the
    Champions League’s quarterfinals. In an 11th-round, Group A fixture, head-coach
    Adrian Vasile’s trainees grabbed a comfortable 40-31 win against Danish champions
    Odense. CSM Bucharest’s most efficient scorers were Cristina Neagu, with 10
    goals, followed by Elizabeth
    Omoregie and Crina Pintea, with 6 goals each. Holders CSM Bucharest are at the top
    of the table in Group A, with 19 points. The winner of the Champions League’s
    previous edition, Norway’s Vipers Kristiansand, is the runner-up
    team, with 17 points. In order to secure their qualification to the Champions League’s
    quarterfinals, CSM needs one more point in the team’s next three scheduled
    fixtures. Cristina Neagu and her teammates will travel to Germany for an away
    match against Bietigheim.


    Rapid Bucharest is the
    other Romanian team playing in the Champions league. Rapid sustained a 30-35
    defeat by Danish challengers Esbjerg, away from home. With 9 goals scored, Rapid’s
    most efficient scorer was Spanish handballer Jennifer
    Gutierrez Bermejo. In Group B, Rapid are 4th-placed, with 16 points, on a par
    with 3rd-placed team, Esbjerg. French team Metz Handball are at the
    top of the table, with 19 points, followed by Hungary’s Gyor, with 18. This coming
    Sunday, on January 22nd, Rapid play a home game against Turkish
    champions Kastamonu. Advancing straight to the Champions League’s quarterfinals
    are the 1st and 2nd-placed teams in each group. 3rd, 4th,
    5th and 6th placed teams will prove their mettle in the playoff
    fixtures according to a round-robin system.

    In Europe’s second-tier
    competition, the EHF European League, SCM Ramnicu Valcea sustained a 22-24 Group
    D away defeat by a Paris 92, in Issy-Les-Moulineaux. With 6 goals scored, SCM’s
    top scorer was Ukrainian handballer Irina Glibko. In Group D, with 4 points in
    two games, German team Thüringer are at the top of the table. In descending order,
    CSM Ramnicu Valcea and Paris 92 follow, with 2 points each. Bottom of the table
    are the Hungarian team Vac, with zero points on their record sheet. This coming
    Sunday, CSM Ramnicu Valcea play an away fixture against Thuringer.


    In news from tennis, main draw matches have
    already been played as part of the year’s first Grand Slam tournament, the Australian
    Open in Melbourne. Romania is represented only in the women’s version of the
    competition. 3rd-seeded tennis player, Jessica Pegula of the USA,
    defeated Jaqueline Cristian, 6-nil, 6-1, while Hungary’s Ana Bondár defeated Ana
    Bogdan 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. On Tuesday, Irina Begu will face China’s Saisai Zheng. Patricia Tig will take on Shuai Zhang, also from China, while Sorana Cîrstea is pitted against
    Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan.(EN)




  • Sports Roundup

    Sports Roundup

    Romanian
    women’ s handball team CSM Bucharest have made a giant leap forward, towards the
    Champions League’s quarterfinals. In an 11th-round, Group A fixture, head-coach
    Adrian Vasile’s trainees grabbed a comfortable 40-31 win against Danish champions
    Odense. CSM Bucharest’s most efficient scorers were Cristina Neagu, with 10
    goals, followed by Elizabeth
    Omoregie and Crina Pintea, with 6 goals each. Holders CSM Bucharest are at the top
    of the table in Group A, with 19 points. The winner of the Champions League’s
    previous edition, Norway’s Vipers Kristiansand, is the runner-up
    team, with 17 points. In order to secure their qualification to the Champions League’s
    quarterfinals, CSM needs one more point in the team’s next three scheduled
    fixtures. Cristina Neagu and her teammates will travel to Germany for an away
    match against Bietigheim.


    Rapid Bucharest is the
    other Romanian team playing in the Champions league. Rapid sustained a 30-35
    defeat by Danish challengers Esbjerg, away from home. With 9 goals scored, Rapid’s
    most efficient scorer was Spanish handballer Jennifer
    Gutierrez Bermejo. In Group B, Rapid are 4th-placed, with 16 points, on a par
    with 3rd-placed team, Esbjerg. French team Metz Handball are at the
    top of the table, with 19 points, followed by Hungary’s Gyor, with 18. This coming
    Sunday, on January 22nd, Rapid play a home game against Turkish
    champions Kastamonu. Advancing straight to the Champions League’s quarterfinals
    are the 1st and 2nd-placed teams in each group. 3rd, 4th,
    5th and 6th placed teams will prove their mettle in the playoff
    fixtures according to a round-robin system.

    In Europe’s second-tier
    competition, the EHF European League, SCM Ramnicu Valcea sustained a 22-24 Group
    D away defeat by a Paris 92, in Issy-Les-Moulineaux. With 6 goals scored, SCM’s
    top scorer was Ukrainian handballer Irina Glibko. In Group D, with 4 points in
    two games, German team Thüringer are at the top of the table. In descending order,
    CSM Ramnicu Valcea and Paris 92 follow, with 2 points each. Bottom of the table
    are the Hungarian team Vac, with zero points on their record sheet. This coming
    Sunday, CSM Ramnicu Valcea play an away fixture against Thuringer.


    In news from tennis, main draw matches have
    already been played as part of the year’s first Grand Slam tournament, the Australian
    Open in Melbourne. Romania is represented only in the women’s version of the
    competition. 3rd-seeded tennis player, Jessica Pegula of the USA,
    defeated Jaqueline Cristian, 6-nil, 6-1, while Hungary’s Ana Bondár defeated Ana
    Bogdan 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. On Tuesday, Irina Begu will face China’s Saisai Zheng. Patricia Tig will take on Shuai Zhang, also from China, while Sorana Cîrstea is pitted against
    Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan.(EN)