Cetatea Suceava secured a 2-0 victory over ASA Târgu Mureș in the second round of Liga II's Regular Season on Saturday. The away side took all three points on the road, moving up the table while the hosts remain rooted in the lower half. And here's the thing — you can read the performance in the scoreboard rather than the possession figures.
G. Raducan opened the scoring in the 38th minute, capitalising on a moment of space after Z. Demeter picked up a booking just four minutes before. The home side had been pushed back, and when the chance came, Raducan made sure of it. By then the momentum had shifted without much fuss.
Five minutes after the restart, the same player doubled the advantage in the 55th minute. The visitors worked the ball into a position that required no second thoughts. ASA Târgu Mureș had run out of legs by that stage, and the game settled into a rhythm they could not disrupt.
Another yellow card arrived in the 43rd minute, a caution that came at a sensitive time for the home side. Two bookings in quick succession changed the tone of the afternoon. To be fair, the away team managed the tempo better, keeping the ball in areas where the hosts were uncomfortable.
The result lifts Cetatea Suceava to 10th place on eight points from six games. ASA Târgu Mureș sit 14th with seven points, having lost three of their opening fixtures. The gap between them is small, but the confidence gap is wider.
Both sides had mixed recent form going into this match. Cetatea Suceava's 1-3 defeat to Concoridia earlier in August was a setback, but they responded with discipline here. ASA Târgu Mureș have been inconsistent all season, and this result adds to their struggles. The table goes out of the window in these games, but consistency matters over time.