Sporting Lăpuș beat USV Iași 2-1 in the Romanian Cup final on Wednesday, 19 August 2026. The match went to extra time after both sides finished level after ninety minutes. B. Crihana struck in the 106th minute to end a barren spell for his team and secure the trophy.
Sporting took the lead early through A. Marin at the 16th minute. USV responded almost immediately with a goal of their own at the same mark, though the scorer is not listed in the available data. That first half ended 1-1, and the game settled into a tactical battle.
P. Voinea put USV ahead in the 64th minute, and for a while it looked as though the hosts might ground out the win. They had been in decent form ahead of the final, picking up wins against Chettatya Sucava and Bradul Putna in their last two outings.
Extra time changed everything. Crihana's 106th-minute effort proved decisive. Sporting had the deeper squad, and that depth showed when the game stretched beyond the standard duration. The visitors were second to nothing in those additional thirty minutes, and they eventually pulled away.
The result means Sporting Lăpuș lift the Romanian Cup for the first time in their history. USV Iași had camped in the final third for much of regulation time but could not find a second equaliser. Cup football has its own rules, and sometimes the extra minutes decide matters that ninety minutes cannot resolve.