CSM Râmnicu Vâlcea beat Chindia Târgoviște in the Romanian Cup final, winning on penalties after a 1-1 draw that stretched into extra time on Monday evening. The trophy went to the hosts following an agonising shootout that decided nothing until the very last kick. And here's the thing about finals like this — you never know when the real match begins.
R. Mihai had the hosts ahead by half-time, netting twice in the opening eighteen minutes. Fifteenth minute, then eighteenth — a quick double that sent Râmnicu Vâlcea into the break with the lead. Chindia needed to respond, and they did. S. Visic pulled one back in the forty-eighth minute, then D. Grigore equalised a minute later. By then everyone knew it was going somewhere.
Extra time produced nothing more, so the cup went to the spot. The shootout lasted longer than either side expected. M. Danciu, G. Honciu, C. Negut and S. Ivan scored for Râmnicu Vâlcea. Chindia's penalty takers missed or scored in a sequence that stretched to the seventeenth kick. One miss ends it, and eventually it did.
Chindia edged possession at 54 per cent and won nine corners to one, but neither side could find a decisive edge in open play. The hosts registered 106 attacks against 111 for the visitors, while shots on target sat at three and four respectively. Six yellow cards for Râmnicu Vâlcea told you about the tension, three for Chindia.
The result gives CSM Râmnicu Vâlcea their first major silverware and adds to a season that has seen them beat Steaua twice in as many weeks. Chindia arrive at this point having won three of their last five, but the trophy slips away. To be fair, you can't complain about the fight they showed.