Slatina beat KSM Râmnicu Vâlcea 1-0 in the third round of Liga II's regular season on Saturday. The away side took all three points with a single goal, moving clear at the top of the table while the hosts dropped further back.
KSM Râmnicu Vâlcea started brightly enough, but the visitors took control when Y. Sorescu found the net in the 52nd minute. To be fair, the hosts had chances of their own, though they could not find the back of the net. Slatina weathered the storm after the breakthrough and saw out the game.
Discipline became an issue in the second half. Yellow cards followed for both sides, with KSM Râmnicu Vâlcea picking up three in quick succession around the break and then two more after the hour mark. Slatina were booked four times in total, but never lost their shape.
Substitutions came in pairs for the home side. At 62 minutes E. Nistor made way for C. Doman, and the second change arrived at 81 when A. Trascu was replaced by V. Constantin. The visitors made no changes of their own, content to see the game out.
The statistics tell the fuller story. Slatina held 53 per cent possession and registered four shots on target compared to three for KSM Râmnicu Vâlcea. The hosts managed 88 attacks and five corners, but could not convert their dominance into goals.
By then Slatina sat top with 16 points from six games, five wins and a draw. KSM Râmnicu Vâlcea remained 11th on eight points, with two victories and two defeats to go alongside their two draws.