Băiuț and Universitatea Craiova met in the Romanian Cup Group Stage on Wednesday, with the visitors taking a 2-1 victory away from home. The match ended 1:2 after a game that swung between momentum for both sides. Băiuț took the lead before half-time, but Craiova's second-half response proved decisive.
S. Nsimba opened the scoring for Craiova in the twenty-fifth minute, and the visitors held firm until B. Roux equalised for the hosts on the hour of the first half. Roux's strike in the forty-fifth minute shifted the balance, and Băiuț appeared set for a point. Then R. Ciobanu restored Craiova's advantage in the fifty-second minute, and here's the thing — the away side didn't let go.
Craiova dominated possession at 0.64 and registered more attacks, yet Băiuț stayed in the game through efficiency. The hosts managed only two shots on target but converted one, while Craiova struck four times on target and scored twice. The away side also collected a red card, which changed the shape of the closing stages.
Băiuț's three yellow cards compared to Craiova's two suggest a tighter, more physical encounter. The hosts pressed with five corners to Craiova's three, but the visitors' higher attack count — 112 to 84 — told its own story. To be fair, Băiuț had the game won inside twenty minutes of the second half before the away side adjusted.
The result keeps Craiova moving in the group stage, while Băiuț will need to find a way to protect leads they worked hard to build. Both sides have shown they can compete, but consistency in the final third remains the question.
