Rapid beat CFR 1907 Cluj 3:1 in Liga I's Regular Season third round on Saturday evening. The hosts moved five points clear of their opponents after a match that settled early enough to let the second half breathe. Three first-half goals from Rapid set the tone before S. Drazic added a late consolation for the visitors.
A. Dobre opened the scoring in the twenty-eighth minute and doubled his tally five minutes later before O. Morutan closed the half with a third. By then Rapid had paid for a sloppy opening — M. Aioani picked up a yellow card in the seventh minute — but the momentum never shifted back. Cluj could only watch as Rapid extended their unbeaten run through three competitive fixtures.
The visitors came out after the break looking to carve something out of the game. Rapid made a double change in the fifty-first minute, with J. Kodor and O. Morutan both leaving the pitch moments after Morutan's goal. S. Drazic took advantage of the space and found the net at the same time, though it felt more like a statement than a genuine revival. Cluj had created two big chances to Rapid's one, but the accuracy gap told the real story.
The statistics sit oddly against the scoreline. Cluj held 61 per cent of possession and attempted 14 shots, seven of them on target, yet only managed one goal. Rapid's 39 per cent possession came with 11 attempts and a 64 per cent accuracy rate — three shots on target and one goal would be a different match. And here's the thing: the visitors blocked eleven shots while Rapid made none, which speaks to desperation rather than control.
Coaching decisions played their part. Rapid brought on K. Muhar and C. Grameni in the seventy-eighth minute, while Cluj responded with A. Cordea and S. Rocha earlier in the half. The home side carried the side through the middle third with 238 passes into opposition territory, but it was their defensive work that mattered — 43 clearances against 30, and 15 successful tackles to 11. To be fair, Cluj's goalkeeper made four saves while Rapid's keeper faced five, which is where the chances went.
There were three yellow cards in total, two for Cluj and one for Rapid, with Bruno Costa and A. Abeid joining M. Aioani on the book. A. Dobre was subbed off in the eighty-ninth minute after his brace, having done enough to justify his place in the starting eleven. Rapid now sit second with fifteen points from eight games, while Cluj remain ninth on ten points after seven matches.