Oțelul and Rapid met in the eighth round of the Liga I on Saturday evening. The visitors took all three points with a single goal in stoppage time. Alexandru Paşcanu found the net at 90+4 minutes to secure a 0:1 victory for Rapid.
The match settled into a rhythm early on. Patrick Fernandes picked up a yellow card in the eighteenth minute, one of only two bookings for Oțelul. By then, the hosts had already equalled the visitors in shots on target, four apiece. The game stayed open, though Rapid pressed forward more often.
And here's the thing — we had called for an away win before kickoff, but at 38 per cent confidence, not as a certainty. The result proved that assessment right, even if the margin felt narrow on paper. Paşcanu's strike came when most sides let their concentration slip.
The statistics tell a straightforward story. Rapid controlled 52 per cent of possession and registered six shots on target against Oțelul's four. Both keepers made five saves each. Oțelul had more blocked shots — four to eight — which suggests they were working from deeper positions. The hosts also saw one player sent off, though the timing isn't recorded.
The result keeps Rapid third in the table with twelve points from seven games. Oțelul remain ninth on ten points, still searching for consistency after a 2:2 draw with Voluntari last weekend. One match to separate them in the standings now feels like a long way to go.