Slătina saw off Metalul Buzău 2-0 in the fourth round of Liga II's Regular Season on Saturday evening. Y. Sorescu opened the scoring early and A. S. Solcan added a second to extend the hosts' perfect start to the campaign.
Sorescu put Slătina ahead in the twelfth minute, and the lead held firm through a first half where the visitors could not find an answer. To be fair, Metalul Buzău had their moments, but the home side closed the game out with a second goal in the seventy-second minute. Solcan's strike came after a flurry of substitutions, and the hosts never looked back.
The exchanges changed the complexion of the match. Granja and Matis picked up yellow cards before the break, and Slătina brought on S. Gheoroae and R. Granja in the fifty-fourth minute. The visitors responded with A. Saim Tudor and C. Bortoneanu, but the momentum had already shifted. By then, Slătina had put the game to bed early enough to control the tempo.
On the numbers, both sides registered eighty-seven attacks, though Slătina's nine shots on target versus six tells the fuller story. The hosts held 53 per cent possession and took eight goal kicks, while Metalul Buzău managed seven corners to two. There is unrest in the dressing room for the visitors, but the statistics alone do not tell you that.
Slătina sit second with thirteen points from five games, having won four and drawn one. Metalul Buzău remain in twelfth with seven points from two wins, one draw and two defeats. The result keeps the hosts' clean-sheet run alive and will make life awkward for those chasing them in the table.