Botoșani beat Chiksereda 1:0 at Stadionul Municipal on Monday in the sixth round of Liga I. Andrei Dumiter scored the only goal in the sixty-ninth minute and the hosts held on despite a late surge from the visitors. The result moves Botoșani up to thirteen points from seven games, while Chiksereda remain on one point at the bottom of the table.
Red card changed the shape of the game
Chiksereda went down to ten men in the eighteenth minute when Máté Ódor was sent off. The dismissal came moments after a VAR decision cancelled a Botoșani goal for offside, and it shifted the balance of the contest. The hosts camped in the final third after that, creating four big chances against zero for their opponents.
Botoșani dominated possession with seventy-one percent and threw everything at the visitors' goal. They registered fifteen shots with seven on target, while Chiksereda managed ten attempts with five on target. The hosts earned ten corners to one, and their passing accuracy in the opposition half tells the story of a team that controlled the tempo.
Chiksereda had to defend deep and rely on clearances, making thirty-seven of them compared to nineteen for Botoșani. They showed resilience in aerial duels, winning twenty-nine against twenty-nine, but could not convert their limited opportunities. Their goalkeeper made six saves to five for his counterpart, keeping the scoreline respectable given the pressure.
The visitors picked up two bookings in five minutes near the end when Lóránd Pászka and Attila Csűrös went into the book. Botoșani made several changes to see out the game, bringing on Márton Eppel, Sebastian Mailat and Narcis Ilaș in the final twenty minutes. Andrei Dumiter himself was withdrawn in the seventy-seventh minute after his goal.
Botoșani arrive at this stage with a mixed record, having beaten Viitorul Selymbăr 3:1 on Saturday but losing to FCSB 2:3 the week before. Chiksereda were coming off a 2:1 victory over Steaua, but that win has not translated into consistency. They have now lost six of seven matches and are running out of games before the winter break.
