Dinamo București saw off Steaua București 30:23 in the National League on Thursday evening. The hosts opened their campaign with a win after their draw against Buzău, while the visitors failed to add to their point from that earlier fixture. By then the gap between the two sides in the table was already clear.
The scoreline tells you everything about how this one was played. Dinamo never let Steaua breathe, and the Romanian capital derby lived up to its billing as a physical encounter. The high line was picked apart in the second half, and that is where the match was decided. To be fair, Steaua had no answer to the tempo.
Looking at the numbers, the difference in quality was stark. Dinamo averaged thirty goals per game over their last five fixtures, while Steaua's output hovered around twenty-eight. The visitors had drawn their opening match 29:35 away at Buzău, a result that now looks like a warning sign. Three-odd goals per game is not enough when you face a side that scores at will.
Dinamo move to the top of the table on goal difference alone, though with only one round played the standings are still fluid. Steaua remain in tenth, two points behind the pack. The market has overreacted to the favourite, but this result suggests the hierarchy may be settling faster than anyone expected.