Universitatea Craiova beat Voluntari 3-1 in the sixth round of Liga I on Saturday. The hosts dominated possession and created plenty of chances, while the visitors struggled to find any rhythm until a late penalty gave them a consolation goal.
And here's the thing about the opening goal — it came from a spot-kick at 45+3. Steven Nsimba sent the ball home as the half neared its end, putting Craiova ahead. Voluntari had already picked up two yellow cards by then, Samuel Teles at 33 and F. Coelho at 41, and Radu Crişan added a third just before the break.
The second goal was a proper piece of work. Oleksandr Romanchuk found his way into the box at 57 and finished cleanly. Craiova were now two up, and Voluntari had no answer. Mihai Roman II went into the book at 52, and the visitors looked shell-shocked.
Monday Etim had a moment that told you everything about the match. He missed a penalty at 78, then scored one at 79. The old head settled them down after that miss, and Craiova had a three-goal cushion. Etim received a yellow card at 85, but the damage was done.
Voluntari refused to go away entirely. Remus Guțea converted a penalty at 90+3, giving his side a goal back. Mihael Onișa had come on at 87, but it was too little, too late. The clean-sheet run came to an end, but the result was already settled.
The statistics painted the picture. Craiova had 67 per cent of the ball, 22 shots with 11 on target, and created nine big chances. Voluntari managed only two shots, one on target, and a single big chance. The away end never stopped, but there was nothing to applaud.
Craiova sit fourth with 11 points from seven games. Voluntari are 15th with five points. The hosts have the deeper squad and showed it on the day.
