Universitatea Cluj edged past UTA Arad 2:1 in the fifth round of the Liga I regular season at Cluj Arena on Monday. The hosts took the lead through A. Aliev just before half-time and doubled their advantage with a penalty after the hour mark, before an away goal brought Arad back into contention.
Aliev opened the scoring in the forty-fifth minute, a moment that shifted the tempo entirely. By then Cluj had looked comfortable enough, but they nearly added a second when D. Mikanovic found space in the box — only for the goal to be cancelled by VAR for offside. The review meant the half ended with a single goal and a sense of unfinished business.
The penalty in the seventy-fourth minute gave Aliev his second of the afternoon and put Cluj two up. It was a crucial intervention, one mistake ends it when you are fighting for points. Arad responded with urgency, and A. Dorobantu pulled one back in the eighty-fifth minute. The away side then pushed for an equaliser, but a red card for A. Gheorghita in the ninety-second minute changed everything. He picked up two bookings in five minutes and was sent off, leaving his side to see out the remainder with ten men.
Cluj dominated possession at 57 per cent but did not necessarily create more clear-cut opportunities. They registered three big chances while Arad managed six, yet the hosts were sharper in front of goal. Shots on target were level at six apiece, but Cluj's accuracy inside the penalty area told the story — eight attempts compared to Arad's seventeen, though the visitors took more from distance.
The result keeps Cluj in twelfth place on nine points from six games, while Arad remain fourteenth with six points after seven matches. Both sides have lost three league games already this season, and this was a result that rescued something from a difficult run for the hosts. The table gap between them is three points, and both clubs will be watching what happens next.