Radio România Internațional

Tag: League

  • Athlete of the week

    Athlete of the week

    Among Italy’s Serie A footballers who this past weekend put on an excellent run on the pitch, there was Romania midfielder Dennis Man. Man drew first blood for Parma, the team that grabbed a 3-1 win in their home game against Lazio. Man scored in the 6th minute, taking advantage of an error in Lazio’s defensive game.

    Romania’s Sports Gazette quoted Tutto Mercator Web as writing that “He was at right place the very moment Rovella made his mistake and kept his cool when he and goalie Provedel faced each other, sending the ball into the net. Tutto Mercato Web journalists wrote Dennis Man did quite a job in the game against Lazio Rome, and assess his performance with a 7. Of Parma’s line-up, it was only the scorer of the third goal, Enrico Del Prato, who got a better mark, 7.5.

    For Radio Romania International, Dennis Man is the Athlete of the week.

    Dennis Man was born on August 26, 1998 in western Romania’s Arad County, He took up football with the local club, then he was signed up by Atletico Arad’s juniors’ team. Eventually, Dennis Man played for his region’s lead team, UTA Arad. In seniors’ competitions, Dennis Man made his debut in 2015, three days after he turned 17, in a second-league game against Gaz Metan Medias, when UTA Arad sustained a 1-2 defeat.

    In 2016 Dennis Man made his debut in the Super League, playing for FCSB, in their match against Universitatea Craiova, a confrontation FCSB won, 2-1. Since 2021 Dennis Man has been playing for Italian team Parma. We recall in 2024 Parma got through to Serie A.

    In the ongoing season in Italy, Man was on the pitch for all 14 games Parma have played so far. He scored four goals and provided three assists.

    Dennis Man made his debut with the national team in March 2018, in a friendly game against Sweden. He boasts 30 caps for the national squad, scoring 8 goals.

  • Sports weekend

    Sports weekend

    FCSB football team’s Europa League home game against Greek challengers Olympiakos Piraeus ended in a blank draw this past Thursday. Holders FCSB in the last half hour of the game were one man shy on the pitch since Daniel Birligea got twice yellow-booked. We recall in 2023 Olympiakos Piraeus won Europe’s third-tier competition, Conference League.

    Olympiakos had the upper hand all throughout the final part of the match, yet FCSB put on an excellent defensive game and eventually took a step further to advancing to the Europa League’s next phase. As we speak, three rounds ahead of the final part of the group stage FCSB are 10th-placed. We recall the first eight teams advance straight to the League’s round of 16.

    25th- to 36th-placed teams as well as the defeated teams in the playoffs will be eliminated from competition. On December 12 in Germany, FCSB play Hoffenheim. Then on January 23rd, FCSB play Azeri team Qarabag. FCSB will then play Manchester United on January 30, at home.

    Also in news from football, matches counting towards the Romanian Super league’s 18th round are scheduled at the weekend. On Friday, FC Botoşani go against Farul Constanţa, while Rapid Bucharest are pitted against Petrolul Ploieşti. In Clinceni on Saturday, Unirea Slobozia face Hermannstadt Sibiu, then in Buzău, the local side Gloria take on Politehnica Iasi. Alao on Saturday, Dinamo play a home match against Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe.

    On Sunday in Craiova, Universitatea play CFR Cluj. Round 18’s last two fixtures are scheduled on Monday, when Universitatea Cluj are pitted against UTA, while Oţelul Galaţi face FCSB. Universitatea Cluj are at the top of the table with 30 points. With 28 points, Universitatea Craiova, CFR and Dinamo follow suit.

    In the Champions League in men’s handball, on Thursday Dinamo Bucharest sustained a serious 25 – 34 defeat by Sporting Lisbon. For Dinamo, it was the fourth consecutive defeat in the ongoing season. After nine rounds and on a par with 4th-placed team, Fuchse Berlin, with 10 points, Dinamo are 5th-placed according to the rankings of Group A.

    A new edition of the European women’s Handball Championship kick-started on Thursday. Romania has been included in Group B, alongside Montenegro, Serbia and the Czech Republic. Romania will play all its fixtures in Debrecen. On Friday, Romania is pitted against the Czech Republic.

    On Sunday, Romania plays Montenegro, while on Tuesday, our national squad takes on Serbia. Competing in the final tournament are 24 teams, distributed in six groups, The first two teams in each group advance to the mainstage, where they will then be distributed in two groups of six teams each.

  • Sports flash

    Sports flash

    Romanian women’s basketball team Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe have succeeded their first win in EuroCup’s Group C. On Wednesday, holders Sepsi grabbed a 70-63 home win against Greek opponents Proteas Voulas. Sepsi had the lead all throughout the game save for a short period of time when Proteas took the lead in the middle of the third quarter.

    Sepsi’s top scorer was their American player Ciera Johnson with 24 points and 14 recoveries. In group C’s other fixture, in Belgrade, red Star sustained a 78-80 defeat by Spain’s IDK Gipuzkoa. In Group C, with 8 points, Gipuzkoa are at the top of the table, while Red Star are the runner-up team, with 6 points. Following in descending order are Sepsi and Voulas, with 5 points each.

    In the last-but-one round, Sepsi travel to San Sebastian for their return leg against Gipuzkoa. Advancing to the round of 32 are the first two teams in each group, then the best four 3rd-placed teams and the four 4th-placed teams in Women’s EuroLeague.

    In men’s basketball, on Wednesday U-BT Cluj-Napoca managed a heart-throbbing 86-78 home win against Italy’s Umana Reyer Veneţia in EuroCup’s Group B. Holders U-BT Cluj Napoca have thus succeeded their third consecutive win, in the wake of a sluggish season debut, with three defeats on their record sheet. Umana Reyer Venice had the upper hand for more than three quarters of play, securing a 65-56 advantage ten minutes from time. Yet U-BT had come from behind in the last quarter, securing their win the final part of the game.

    U-BT Cluj Napoca’s best player was the French Adam Mokoka, with 16 points, 4 recoveries and 4 assists. U-BT will next play against Türk Telekom of Ankara, away.
    In Romanian Cup in Football, the first round of the group phase is scheduled this week. On Wednesday, in a Group B fixture, on the National Arena in Bucharest, in Romanian football’s all-time derby, Dinamo Bucharest was pitted against FCSB, also from Bucharest.

    FCSB trounced Dinamo, 4-nil. Scoring were Alexandru Băluţă, in minute 56, then Brazilian Luis Phelipe scored on 70 minutes, while Marius Ştefănescu scored in minutes 81 and 88. We recall that 10 days ago, holders FCSB had also won the League game against Dinamo, 2-nil.

  • Sports weekend

    Romanian football team FCSB have succeeded their second consecutive win in Europa League’s ongoing season. On Thursday, FCSB grabbed a 1-nil away win against Greek challengers PAOK Thessalonica. The only goal of the match was scored by Daniel Bîrligea, in the first half’s added time.

    FCSB had a hard time on the pitch as on 55 minutes captain Darius Olaru was eliminated, having been twice yellow-booked. Greek champions PAOK, head-coached by the Romanian Razvan Lucescu, never ceased to attack until the end, yet FSCB put on a heroic defensive game and managed to maintain their advantage. So after two rounds in the Europa league, FCSB are among the very few team that have so far won all the points at stake, rubbing shoulders with Lazio, Lyon, Tottenham and Anderlecht.

    On Sunday, play FCSB in the Romanian Super league’s 12th round, facing Gloria Buzău at home. On Friday, UTA Arad are pitted against Petrolul Ploieşti, while Farul Constanţa play Dinamo Bucharest. On Saturday top-of-the-table team Universitatea Cluj play an away match against Unirea Slobozia, while CFR Cluj play a home game against Poli Iasi. Also on Saturday, Oţelul Galaţi take on Universitatea Craiova at home. In Sibiu on Sunday, Hermannstadt play Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe, while FC Botoşani face Rapid Bucharest, at home.

    Three Romanian women’s handball teams this coming weekend will play their fixtures in the Champions League’s fourth round. In Group A on Saturday, Gloria Bistriţa-Năsăud play an away fixture against Hungary’s Ferencváros. On Sunday, CSM Bucharest play a home game against Danish side Nykøbing Falster. In the National Handball League’s derby on Wednesday, CSM Bucharest succeeded a 33-30 home win against Gloria Bistrita. Romanian title holders CSM Bucharest took their revenge, having sustained a 26-30 away defeat by Gloria Bistrita on September 7, in the Champions League’s first round.

    According to the Champions League’s Group A rankings, after three rounds, CSM Bucharest are 4th-placed, with 4 points. Gloria have two points and are 5th-placed. In Group B on Sunday, Rapid Bucharest ply an away game against Danish opponents Team Esbjerg. Romania’s vice-champions so far have three points on their record sheet and are 4th-placed in the group’s as-it-stands table.

  • Sports weekend

    Romania’s men’s tennis
    team, in Athens this coming weekend goes against the national team of Greece,
    in a play-off confrontation counting towards maintaining the position in Davis
    Cup’s World Group I.


    For the match against
    Greece, Romania’s lineup is made of Marius Copil, Nicholas David Ionel, Cezar
    Creţu, Luca Preda and Victor Cornea.


    ATP 265th-placed Ionel and WTA 294th-placed
    Copil are the Romanian lineup’ s best-placed tennis players according to men’s
    singles rankings. In the men’s doubles, best-placed is Victor Cornea, ranking
    65th. Of the Greek team, best-placed is WTA number 7, Stefanos
    Tsitsipas.


    In the Davis Cup, Romania and Greece have
    twice gone against one another before. In 1933, in the Europe zone’s second
    round in Athens, Greece won, 4-1. In 1970 in Bucharest, Romania won, 5-nil, in a
    confrontation counting towards the Europe zone’s quarterfinals. Ilie Năstase,
    Ion Ţiriac, Viorel Marcu and Sever Mureşan were Romania’s tennis players back
    then, in the men’s singles confrontation. Ilie Nastase and Ion Tiriac proved their
    mettle in the men’s doubles


    This coming weekend will see matches being
    played, counting towards the 12th round as part of the Women’s EHF
    Champions League. In Group A on Saturday, CSM Bucharest play an away fixture
    against top of the table team, Hungary’s Gyor, which has 11 points in a similar
    number of matches played. CSM are 3rd-placed, after six wins and four defeats.


    In Group B, on Sunday Rapid play a home
    game against Ferencváros Budapest. Vice champions Rapid are 7th-placed,
    while Ferencvaros, 6th, with three wins each. The first two teams in
    each group play straight in the quarterfinals, while 3rd, 4th, 5th
    and 6th-placed teams will prove their mettle in the playoffs for a
    place in the quarterfinals.


    Three Romanian
    teams play in Europe’s second-tier competition, the EHF European League. On
    Saturday, in Group D, CSM Târgu Jiu play a home match against Norway’s Sola. After
    the first three rounds, CSM Targu jIu were unable to add a point to their record
    sheet. In Croatia on Sunday, Dunărea Brăila face Group B’s bottom-of-the-table
    team, Lokomotiva Zagreb. With four points, Dunarea Braila are the runner-up
    team in the group, after Thüringer of Germany. Also on Sunday, Gloria Bistriţa play an away game against French team Nantes.
    In Group C, with an equal number of points, five, Gloria and Nantes are at the
    top of the table. However, Nantes have a better goal average.


    Matches
    counting the 24th round as part of Romanian Football Super league
    are scheduled at the weekend. On Friday, FC Botoşani play Poli Iasi and FC U
    Craiova face Dinamo Bucharest. On Saturday in Ploiesti the local side Petrolul take
    on CFR Cluj, then in Bucharest, Rapid face Oţelul Galaţi. On Sunday, Universitatea
    Cluj play a home game against UTA, while in Sfântu Gheorghe, Universitatea
    Craiova play Sepsi. On Monday, FC Voluntari are pitted against Hermannstadt and
    FCSB play Farul Constanţa. 11
    points clear of the 2nd and 3rd-placed teams, CFR and Rapid, FCSB
    are at the top of the as-it-stands table.



  • Sports flash

    Sports flash


    Romanian national football team’s goalie, Horaţiu
    Moldovan, has been transferred to Spanish club Atletico Madrid. The Spanish club
    paid to Rapid Bucharest football cub the sum stipulated in the termination contract,
    worth 800,000 Euro. Also 800, 000 Euro will be Horatiu Moldovan’s income for his
    first season with Atletico. Rapid was quick to fill in the gap in their pool of
    regulars, signing up Farul Constanta’s goal keeper, Marian Aioani, for whom the club paid 400,000 Euros.


    CFR Cluj football team has a new head-coach, Adrian Mutu. CFR sacked
    their former head-coach, the Italian Andrea Mandorlini, in the wake of CFR’s recent
    poor results. The straw that broke the camel’s back was CFR’s defeat this past
    weekend by the Superleague’s bottom-of-the-table team, FC Botosani. According to
    the domestic championship’s as-it-stands table, CFR are the runner-up team, 11
    points behind top-of-the-table team, FCSB.


    CSM CSU Oradea stays in the race for the quarterfinals as part of FIBA
    Europe Cup men’s basketball team. In a Group N home match on Wednesday, CSM CSU
    Oradea defeated Dutch opponents Leiden, 90-77. Second to German team Chemnitz, CSM
    CSU Oradea are the runner-up team in the group, with two wins in five games
    played. Italian team Varese are 3rd-palced in the group, also with two wins in
    4 games played. The first two teams in the group advance to the quarterfinals. CSM
    CSU Oradea play their decisive game at home, on February 7.


    Romanian women’s handball teams CSM Bucureşti and Gloria Bistriţa have won
    their debut games according to the National League’s away series. Holders CSM
    Bucharest defeated HC Zalău, 31-21, while Gloria defeated CSM Târgu Jiu, 25-18.
    CSM are at the top of the table, with 42 points, while Bistritsa are 2nd-placed,
    with 33, in 14 games played.

  • Sports weekend


    Headline-hitting these days is the IHF Womens World Handball Championship. Romania sustained a defeat in the competitions main group stage. In Denmarks Herning, Florentin Peras trainees on Thursday were outclassed by Germany, 24-22, after a confrontation where the winner was decided in the second part of the second half of the game. Romania had a 12-9 lead at half time. The teams top scorer was Eliza Buceschi, with 8 goals scored. Not completely recovered after a recent injury, Cristina Neagu was also on the pitch, for the first time at this edition of the world championship, and scored three goals.



    After their most recent run at the ongoing World Championship, Romania are 5th placed in Main Group III, with a mere two points on their record sheet. On Saturday, also in Herning, Romania faces Japan, the team that on Thursday defeated Denmark, 27-26. Advancing to the quarterfinals are the first two teams in descending order in each of the main groups.



    The European Short-course Swimming Championships are underway in Otopeni, near Bucharest. A 21-strong delegation of Romanian swimmers, 7 girls and 14 boys, will prove their mettle in the competition. Several events are scheduled later this week, with the Romanian swimmers standing a real chance to grab a medal. In 2021, at the previous edition of the Short-course Championships, held in Russias Kazan, David Popovici walked home with gold in the 200m freestyle event, while Robert Glinta won silver, in the 100m backstroke event, and bronze, in the 50m backstroke event.



    The last fixtures as part of Romanian Football Cups group stage have been played this week. On Thursday, in Group C, FC U Craiova grabbed a 2-nil home win against FCSB, while Bucharest Dinamo and Otelul Galaţi drew, 3-all. In the quarterfinals, scheduled on April 3rd, 2024, second-league team Corvinul Hunedoara go against CFR Cluj, FC U Craiova face FC Voluntari, Oţelul Galaţi play an away game against Universitatea Craiova, while Universitatea Cluj play a home fixture against FC Hermannstadt of Sibiu.



    Matches counting towards Romanian Football Super leagues 19th round are scheduled at the weekend and early next week. On Friday, Poli Iaşi are pitted against UTA Arad. On Saturday, Rapid Bucharest play FC Voluntari. On Sunday, FC Hermannstadt face Universitatea Craiova, Farul Constanţa go against Petrolul Ploieşti while CFR Cluj play FCSB. On Monday, FC U Craiova 1948 take on FC Botoşani, while Dinamo Bucharest go against Universitatea Cluj. The 19th rounds last game is Otelul Galatis home fixture against Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe. FCSB are at the top of the table, with 37 points. CFR Cluj follow, with 32.




  • Radio Romania International Sports club

    Radio Romania International Sports club


    The World Rugby Cup has now reached its final stage. In Paris on Saturday, the grand finale will see New Zealand facing South Africa. Both teams have had an unassuming start in the competition, with defeats in the group stage. New Zealand was defeated by France, while South Africa was defeated by Ireland. However, progress was increasingly visible for both teams, since in the quarterfinals, South Africa defeated host team France, while New Zealand defeated defending world champions Ireland.



    In the group stage, we had the chance to watch South Africa play, that including a match against Romania. The “Springboks” trounced Romania, 76-nil, causing the second defeat for our national team at the 2023 edition of the World Cup. We recall Romania was given a most serious hiding in their debut game, being defeated by Ireland, 8-82. The defeat was even more serious in the game against Scotland, nil-84. The only match where Romania mattered a little bit was the fixture against Tonga, a game they lost anyway, 24-45. However, we could see a lot of determination among the Romanian players, given that, quite unlike the previous confrontations, the game against Tonga was not entirely hopeless. Eugen Apjoks trainees succeeded three fine tries, through Cristi Boboc, Florin Surugiu and Marius Simionescu.



    In the wake of Romanias dismal run in France, rugby fans could see for themselves how far Romania was from earning a place in the first echelon at world level. We even wonder if we can claim a position among the worlds second-tier teams, where such line-ups as those of Portugal, Georgia or Fiji have had a good run at the World Cup 2023. For these countries, on Wednesday, World Rugby broke the news.



    Beginning with the 2027 edition of the World Cup in Australia, the final tournament will include 27 teams. In theory, Romania still stands a chance to yet again prove its mettle at the World Cup, as our national squad is 20th placed according to the as-it-stands table at world level. World Rugby has also ruled the setting up of Nations League, a competition due to kick off beginning 2026. The Nations League will have two divisions with twelve teams each. The first division will be made of the worlds top ten national teams and two guest national teams. Fixtures are scheduled in July and November, replacing the previous tournament or the test matches that were usually held in July and November. According to World Rugby, changes have been made in a bid to enable weaker teams to play top-flight squads more often.




  • Radio Romania International Sports club

    Radio Romania International Sports club


    The Champions League in womens handballs 2023 – 2024 edition has now reached the second round of the group stage. Holders CSM Bucharest and runner-up team Rapid represent Romania in the competition. CSM has been included in Group A, while Rapid, in Group B. There are eight teams for each of the two series. The first two teams, in descending order, play straight in the Leagues s quarterfinals. According to a round-robin system, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th-placed teams will prove their mettle in the playoff fixtures. The four winning teams add up to the list of teams that have already booked their ticket for the quarterfinals.



    After the first two rounds, both CSM and Rapid have a win and a defeat on their record sheet. CSM played their debut home game against Danish opponents Odense, 28-24, then sustained a 24-26 defeat by Bietigheim, away. In the first round, Rapid sustained a 28 to 30 defeat by Esbjerg of Denmark, then secured a 26-25 win against Polish team Zaglebie Lubin.



    Fixtures counting towards the third round are scheduled at the weekend. In a match hosted by the Multi-Purpose Sports Hall in Bucharest, on Saturday CSM face Hungarian challenger Gyor, the team that will most likely win the current edition of the League according to the bookmakers. Gyor won the away game against French team Brest Bretagne, 24-23 and trounced Hungarian side Debrecen at home, 35-23. Rapid Also in Bucharest, but on Sunday, Rapid take on Danish team Ikast. The latter team provided the Leagues first great surprise, winning the match against the winners of the Leagues previous edition, 30-26. In the second round, Ikast secured another win, in France, 39-36 against Metz Handball.



    On the European Handball Federations website, at eurohandball.com, posted on the page dedicated to the womens version of the Champions League there is a portrait of Cristina Neagu, who said she wanted to win the League yet again with CSM Bucharest. The internationally-acclaimed Romanian handballer went on to say she badly wanted to win the League to inspire her fellow handballers, to help them learn they can get everything if they work hard and think big.




  • Sports flash

    As part of the quarterfinals of the US Open tennis
    tournament, the year’s last Grand Slam tournament, the Romanian player Sorana
    Cîrstea sustained a two-set defeat by Czech challenger Karolina Muchova, 6-nil,
    6-3, after one hour and 37 minutes of play. WTA number 30, 33-year-old Cîrstea was
    handed a cheque worth 450, 000 USD and was granted 430 WTA points.


    Also as part of the US Open, in the women’s doubles’ round
    of 16, the Romanian-Ukrainian pair made of Gabriela Ruse-and Marta Kostiuk was
    defeated by the all-American pair made of Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, 6-3,
    6-1, after one hour and 16 minutes of play. Ruse and Kostyuk were handed a cheque
    worth 58.000 USD and were granted 240 points in the women’s doubles rankings.


    As
    part of the Balkan Championships held in Larissa, Greece, the Romanian national
    road cycling team has won 13 medals, of which 7 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze. Taking
    part in the competition was an 18-strong delegation of cyclists, accompanied by
    their staff. Cyclist Manuela Mureşan won two gold medals, in the elite, individual
    time trial and long-distance races. Cyclist Emil Dima walked away with a silver
    medal in the elite road race. The rest of the medals was won in the U-23, juniors
    and cadets’ categories.


    This
    past Monday saw the last three fixtures being played, counting towards the
    Romanian Football Super league’s 8th round. Universitatea Cluj was
    defeated by Politehnica Iași, nil-2, FC Botoșani and Hermannstadt drew, 2-all,
    while Sepsi Sf. Gheorghe defeated UTA Arad, 1-nil. With
    18 points, FCSB are at the top pf the as-it-stands table, followed by CFR Cluj,
    with 16 points and Rapid Bucharest with 14 points.


    As
    part of the Romanian National Rugby League’s second round, CSM
    Baia Mare trounced FC Bârlad, 90-9, Știința Petroșani were thrashed by Politehnica
    Iași 7-50, Universitatea Cluj defeated Club Municipal Galați, 64-7, Steaua
    București and CSM Constanța drew, 29-all, Dinamo București defeated Săgeata
    Năvodari, 5-nil, while SCM Timișoara defeated Grivița, 5-nil. CSM Baia Mare, CSM
    Constanța and Dinamo Bucharest are at the top of the table in the three groups.



  • 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.




  • Sports weekend

    Sports weekend

    The Romanian football teams competing in the first
    leg as part of the Conference League’s second preliminary round have had an above-par performance. This past Wednesday in Sofia, FCSB grabbed a 1-nil win
    against ŢSKA 1948. Then on
    Thursday, Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe grabbed a 2-nil win against one of Bulgaria’s
    most popular teams and a former European Champions Cup semi-finalist, in the 20th
    century, ŢSKA Sofia. Scoring for Sepsi were Nicolae Păun in minute 68 and Roland
    Varga on 81 minutes. In
    Ovidiu, in the south-east, Romanian title holders, Farul Constanta, succeeded a
    hard-fought, 3-2 win against Armenian champions Urartu. Guest team’s Artyom Maksimenko drew first blood
    on 32 minutes. In minute 36 Farul levelled the score through Tudor Baluta’s
    goal. In minute 38 Urartu’s Ukrainian footballer Ivan Zotko yet again put his
    team into the lead. However, in the first half’s added time Farul’s Adrian Mazilu
    levelled the score for the second time around. In the last seconds of the match
    Farul footballer Ionut Larie’s powerful shot from outside the box sealed the
    fate of the game. The Conference League’s fourth team, CFR Cluj, played a home game against Turkish
    team Adana Demirspor. The match ended 1-all. CFR’s Spanish footballer Jefte
    Betancor scored on 6 minutes, while on 77 minutes, Adana Demirspor’s French
    footballer Benjamin Stambouli levelled the score. The return legs are scheduled next
    Thursday.

    Matches counting towards Romanian football Super League’s third round are
    scheduled at the weekend. On Friday, FC U Craiova 1948 are pitted against Universitatea Cluj, while Rapid Bucharest
    play FC Botoşani. On Saturday, Sibiu-based FC Hermannstadt play a home game
    against UTA Arad, while FCSB play an away match against Otelul Galaţi. In Ovidiu
    on Sunday, Farul Constanţa play Poli Iasi. Also on Sunday, the third round’s
    derby is scheduled in Cluj, pitting CFR Cluj against Universitatea Craiova. On
    Monday, Petrolul Ploiesti face FC Voluntari, while Dinamo Bucharest play Sepsi
    Sfantu Gheorghe. With six points each, Farul, CFR and FCSB are at the top of
    the as-it-stands table.



  • Sports flash

    Sports flash


    Romanian swimmers Constantin
    Popovici and Cătălin Preda where the first ones to walk away with a gold and a
    silver medal, respectively, at the World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
    On Thursday, Popovici and Preda came in first and second, respectively, in the
    championships’ high-dive event. Taking part in the event were 23 swimmers, among
    whom the two-time world champion ion, Gary Hunt of France. Defending European champion
    Popovici was the favourite to winning the gold medal. Popovici has been in top shape
    for the ongoing season in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series, with wins in Boston and Paris and a
    second place in Italy’s Polignano a Mare. Vice-European champion Preda in turn
    ranked as favorite and a hopeful for stepping onto a step of the podium. The first
    two high-diving series, with jumps off a 27-meter-high board were scheduled on
    Tuesday and confirmed all predictions. Popovici and came in first and second,
    respectively. After two more dives, third-placed was Ukrainian Oleksey Prygorov,
    followed by Spain’s Carlos Gimeno and Gary Hunt on France. On Thursday, after
    two more dives, Constantin Popovici won the world title, with 472. 80 points all
    told. Second-placed was Cătălin Preda, with 438. 45 points. Stepping onto the third step of the podium was the French Gary Hunt,
    with 426.30 points.

    In news from football, in the Conference League’s
    second preliminary round, a Romanian team has made its debut with a win. This
    past Wednesday in Sofia, the first Romanian team to have played in the competition’s
    first leg, Bucharest-based FCSB, grabbed a 1-nil away win against Bulgarian
    opponents ŢSKA 1948. Florinel Coman sealed the fate of the match rather
    early, on 28 minutes. A temperature reading of 35 degrees Celsius and the
    rainfall that followed made the game quite difficult, all the more so as the
    footballers had to move on slippery turf. The confrontation was balanced but lackluster,
    completely. The Bulgarians were a little bit more dangerous in the second half of
    the game yet FCSB’s goalie, Ştefan
    Târnovanu, was in no way easy meat for ŢSKA. Next week’s return leg scheduled in
    Bucharest will a behind-closed-doors fixture, following a sanction issued by
    UEFA against FCSB, in the wake of the fans’ racist behavior during FCSB’s match
    against West Ham United in 2022

  • Sports weekend

    Sports weekend

    Andrea
    Miklos is the fifth Romanian athlete to have secured the qualification to the
    2024 edition of the Olympic Games in Paris. In the 400m race, Miklos came in 2nd
    as part of an international contest held in Szekesfehervar, Hungary. Andrea clocked
    50 seconds and 80 hundredths of a second, that is 15 hundredths of second
    better than the Olympic standard. Sada
    Williams of Barbardos was the winner, with 50 seconds and 34 hundredths of a
    second. Apart from Andrea
    Miklos, having already booked their ticket for Paris are Marathon runner Delvine
    Meringor, swimmers David Popovici and Vlad Stancu, as well as pugilist Lăcrămioara
    Perijoc.


    The World Fencing Championships start in Italy’s Milan this coming
    Saturday. The Championships begin on July 22 with the individual men’s sabre
    and women’s epee events. The finals are scheduled on July 24th. Preliminaries
    for men’s epee and women’s foil events are scheduled on July 23rd. The
    finals are scheduled on Tuesday. The rest of the events take place next week. The
    competition draws to a close on July 30th.


    In news from football, the Romania national
    team has climbed one notch down, from the 47th to the 48th
    place according to the World national teams’ rankings made public by the
    International Football Federation on Thursday. Defending world champions Argentina
    still is at the top of the table. Vice world champions France and Brazil, respectively,
    follow. Romania’s main challenger at the EURO 2024 preliminaries, Switzerland
    has also climbed one notch down as against last month, from the 12th
    to the 13th-place. Of Romania’s other opponents, best-placed is Israel,
    ranking 79th. Kosovo and Andorra are 109th and 154th-placed,
    respectively.


    Matches counting towards the Romanian football Super league’s second round
    are scheduled at the weekend. On Friday, Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe go against FC U Craiova
    1948, while UTA play CFR Cluj. On Saturday, Farul Constanţa in Ovidiu play a
    home fixture against FC Voluntari. In Romania’s capital city, the all-time
    Bucharest derby will be played, pitting FCSB against Dinamo Bucharest. On
    Sunday, Poli Iasi play a home game against FC Hermannstadt Sibiu, while Universitatea
    Cluj face Rapid Bucharest, also on home turf. On Monday, FC Botoşani are pitted
    against Petrolul Ploieşti, while Universitatea Craiova play Oţelul Galaţi.


    —–

  • Sports flash

    Sports flash

    Matches
    counting towards the U-21 European Football Championship’s final tournament
    kick-started in Romania and Georgia this past Wednesday. In Bucharest, Romania
    sustained a nil-3 defeat by Spain. Also in Bucharest, Ukraine defeated Croatia,
    2-nil. In Georgia’s Tbilisi, host country
    squad grabbed a 2-nil win against Portugal, while the match pitting The Netherlands
    against Belgium ended in an unassuming blank draw.


    Also in
    news from football, the Romanian teams know who their opponents are, in the European
    competitions’ preliminaries. In the Champions League’s first preliminary round,
    Farul Constanta goes against Republic of Moldova title holders Sheriff
    Tiraspol. Gheorghe Hagi’s trainees play the first leg on home turf in Ovidiu, on
    July 11 or 12, while the return leg will be played in Chisinau, on July 18 or
    19. In the Europa Conference League’s second preliminary round, FCSB and Sepsi
    OSK Sfântu Gheorghe play Bulgarian teams PFC ŢSKA Sofia and FC ŢSKA 1948 Sofia,
    respectively. Both legs of the tie are scheduled abroad for the Romanian
    teams, on July 27, while the return legs are scheduled on August 3rd on home turf. CFR Cluj takes on Turkey’s Adana Demirspor, with the first leg of the tie
    scheduled in Cluj Napoca, on July 27.


    In the
    Champions League in women’s handball’s next edition, two teams will represent Romania.
    Apart from holders CSM Bucharest,
    the vice-champion team, Rapid, also got through. We recall that in the League’s
    previous edition both
    CSM and Rapid reached as far as the quarterfinals, However, in the men’s
    version of the League, Dinamo Bucharest’s application to play in the Champions League
    was turned down. Holders Dinamo Bucharest will play in the EHF league the next
    season.


    As part of the European Games in Krakow, Romania’s
    women’s three-ex-three basketball team is at the top of the table in Group B,
    after the first two fixtures. On Wednesday, Romania defeated Austria, 17-14, and
    Germany, 15-13. On Friday, Romania will play its last group match, the fixture
    against Greece. The first two teams in descending order advance to the quarterfinals.