Rapid Bucharest beat Petrolul Ploiești 2-0 in the Liga I at the weekend, moving level on points with the hosts in the table. Both sides had collected 12 points after seven games, so this was a proper seven-pointer.
Alex Dobre broke the deadlock in the 55th minute before Olimpiu Moruțan sealed it with a stoppage-time strike. Petrolul threw bodies forward but came up short, and here's the thing — they created only one big chance all game while Rapid managed the same.
Substitutions came thick and fast for both managers. Petrolul brought on Graovac in the 23rd minute, then made three changes around the break. Rapid's moves included the introduction of Bran and Jerdea together in the 70th minute, and they turned it on when Moruțan found the net.
The numbers tell a story of possession without penetration. Petrolul held 55 per cent of the ball and completed 300 passes, but their shot accuracy sat at just 26 per cent. Rapid were more efficient despite having less of the ball, and by then the result was clear enough.
Both sides picked up bookings in the second half, with Petrolul's Sălceanu and Vulturar carded before half-time and Dobre picking up a yellow in the 81st minute for the visitors. The hosts had more corners and crosses but struggled to convert territory into goals.
So the standings stay as they were — Petrolul third and Rapid second, both on 12 points after seven matches. The gap remains a single point, and this result keeps the pressure on for both clubs going forward.