Bihor Oradea saw off Crișul Sânmtău 3-0 in the Romanian Cup semi-finals on Tuesday evening, booking their place in the final. The visitors took control early and never looked back, with A. Cruceru opening the scoring after just twenty-three minutes. By then the tone had been set for a straightforward afternoon for the away side.
I. Hora doubled the advantage in the second half, arriving to finish from a well-worked move in the sixty-seventh minute. The hosts had a chance to respond but couldn't find the breakthrough, and Bihor added a third in stoppage time when the clock read 90+3. To be fair, Crișul never really threatened in the latter stages.
The statistics told a similar story. Bihor registered 99 attacks against 88 for their opponents, while also claiming eight corners to three. Shots on target favoured the visitors, 3-1, though possession sat at 55 per cent for the home side. It wasn't a dominant display, but efficiency matters in these ties.
Recent form suggested this might happen. Bihor had won four of their last five across all competitions, including that comfortable 4-0 against Bistrița. Crișul, meanwhile, had drawn their last game 0-0 against Sânmartin and hadn't tasted victory in their previous two league outings.
The result means Bihor Oradea will face the winners of the other semi-final in the final. They now lead on aggregate 3-0 from this two-legged tie, and the table goes out of the window in these games. One more victory and they lift the trophy.