CFR 1907 Cluj beat Botoșani 3-1 on Saturday in the Romanian Liga I, keeping alive their hopes of climbing away from the relegation zone. The hosts took control almost immediately when Razvan Cret received a red card in the ninth minute, leaving the visitors with ten men for the remainder of the game.
Cluj made no mistake of the numerical advantage. Lorenzo Biliboc opened the scoring at the twenty-fourth minute, and Stefan Dražić doubled the lead five minutes later. The visitors' only response came through Mykola Kovtalyuk, whose goal was confirmed by VAR in the sixty-eighth minute, but Sergiu Buş restored the two-goal cushion at seventy-seven.
The match statistics tell the story. Cluj enjoyed 56 per cent of possession, registered ten shots on target, and created three big chances. Botoșani managed just two shots on target and one big chance, despite keeping their goalkeeper busy with six saves. The visitors also spent more time defending, making twenty-one clearances compared to Cluj's twelve.
We had tipped Cluj for victory at 48 per cent confidence. It was a cautious prediction, but the early dismissal removed any doubt about the outcome. Botoșani had to chase the game from the ninth minute, and their inability to create meaningful opportunities meant the result was never really in question.
The win moves Cluj to ten points from eight games, still in thirteenth place but closer to the teams above them. Botoșani remain in tenth with eleven points from nine matches, having failed to extend their recent unbeaten run. Both sides now turn their attention to the next round of fixtures.
