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Craiova’s night at the circus – the clowns finally got the joke
Craiova strutted into Escaldes with a swagger that would make a Barcelona winger blush, and they left with three points and a swagger that now feels like a swagger. The Andorran hosts tried to make a statement, but their 1‑3 defeat will be remembered as a footnote in a night where the Romanians wrote the headlines.
From the first whistle, Craiova’s midfield engine, Andrei Ionuț (8.5), turned the ball over faster than a vending machine on a hot day. His range of passes sliced through the compact Andorran block, setting up the opening goal in the 12th minute. The ball found Alexandru Popescu (9.0) at the edge of the box, who thumped a low, driven finish past the stunned Inter keeper. Popescu’s movement was relentless; he added a second, a glancing header after a corner, before sealing the night with a clinical finish from distance in the 78th minute.
Inter D'Escaldes’ lone reply came from a set‑piece that caught Craiova’s defence napping. Marc Gual (7.0) headed home a well‑taken corner, briefly reviving the home crowd’s hope. Yet, any optimism evaporated as Craiova’s Gheorghe Matei (8.0) – the unsung workhorse in the middle of the park – intercepted a sloppy pass and launched a counter‑attack that culminated in Popescu’s second.
Defensively, Inter’s backline looked like a group of tourists trying to navigate a maze: slow, indecisive, and constantly turning the wrong way. Their goalkeeper, Jordi Pujol (6.5), was left exposed to two easy finishes after the Romanian midfield forced him out of his box. On the other side, Craiova’s defence, anchored by Mihai Dobre (7.5), stayed compact and disciplined, allowing only a single shot on target after the 30th minute.
The result does more than just add three points to Craiova’s tally; it nudges them into a more comfortable spot in the Conference League group, while Inter D'Escaldes slide further into the relegation mire. With a win, Craiova can now look ahead to a tighter race for the knockout spots, whereas Escaldes must regroup quickly or risk becoming a footnote in the competition’s early stages.
Player Ratings
- Alexandru Popescu (CSU Craiova) – 9.0
- Andrei Ionuț (CSU Craiova) – 8.5
- Gheorghe Matei (CSU Craiova) – 8.0
- Mihai Dobre (CSU Craiova) – 7.5
- Marc Gual (Inter D'Escaldes) – 7.0
- Jordi Pujol (Inter D'Escaldes) – 6.5