Rapid Bucharest claimed a 3-1 victory against Argeș Pitești in the Liga I regular season round 10 on Friday evening. The hosts moved closer to the top of the table, while their visitors slipped further from European contention. And here's the thing — we had tipped a home win before kick-off, confidence sitting at 47 per cent. The result matched the expectation, though not every detail played out as anticipated.
Constantin Grameni opened the scoring in the twenty-first minute, and by then Rapid had already begun to dictate the tempo. His second came in the fifty-seventh, confirmed following a VAR review, and that double effectively settled the contest. Dorinel Oancea added a third in the sixty-eighth, while Andrei Sucu pulled one back for Argeș in stoppage time. Three goals from Rapid, one from their visitors — the margin told the story.
The statistics paint one picture, but watching the match reveals another. Rapid held 57 per cent possession and recorded ten shots on target compared to Argeș's two, yet only converted three of their chances. Shots accuracy sat at 43 per cent for the hosts versus 18 per cent for the visitors — a gap that reflected the quality of opportunities created. To be fair, Argeș's goalkeeper made seven saves to Rapid's one, keeping his side in it for longer than the scoreline suggested.
Substitutions came in waves as the match progressed. Silviu Balaure was withdrawn for Rapid in the fifty-eighth, followed by Mohammed Kamara and Ebenezer Annan in the sixty-ninth. Sheriff Sinyan and Alexandru Dobre came on together in the seventy-sixth, while four more changes occurred in the closing stages. The coaching staff rotated heavily, perhaps to manage player fitness ahead of upcoming fixtures.
Rapid sit second in the table with eighteen points from nine games — five wins, three draws, one defeat. Argeș occupy eleventh place on eleven points after three victories, two draws and four losses. The hosts extend their unbeaten run, having won their last two league matches against Voluntari and Oțelul. By then, any lingering doubt about their form had vanished.
