Slatina seal semi-final victory at Altul Curtişoara
Slatina beat Altul Curtişoara 3:0 in the Romanian Cup semi-finals on Tuesday evening. The away side took control when they needed to, scoring three goals in the final quarter of the match. By then the result was already decided, but the visitors made sure there would be no drama at the final whistle.
Altul Curtişoara had their chances early on, but Slatina weathered the storm and waited for their moment. The hosts pressed forward with some energy, managing 67 attacks compared to 125 for the visitors, but without the quality to break through. To be fair, Altul had the rougher end of it for long stretches of the game.
The breakthrough came in the 73rd minute when Slatina finally found the net. The home side tried to respond, but the visitors kept knocking on the door and doubled their advantage four minutes later with a second goal. Altul Curtişoara were now chasing the game and running out of time.
With nine minutes of stoppage time added, Slatina put the result beyond doubt with a third goal in the 90+2 minute. The visitors had been patient, and when the chance came they took it. The stadium fell silent as the final whistle approached, and Slatina moved into the cup final.
The statistics told the story of a match where one side dominated possession at 61 per cent and shot nine times on target to the hosts' two. Altul had four shots off target and two on, but Slatina's nine on-target efforts meant they were far more clinical. The visitors also won the battle for corners, five to two, and controlled the tempo throughout.
Slatina's form has been impressive lately, with a 5:1 win over Dinamo Bucureşti on Saturday following a 2:1 victory against Steaua. They had previously beaten Altul 5:0 in January and 4:1 in August 2025, so this result was no surprise. The hosts, meanwhile, had only managed a 3:3 draw with Filiaşi on their last outing before this defeat.
The semi-final tie is now over, and Slatina advance to the final with a comfortable margin. Altul Curtişoara will reflect on a match where they never quite found their rhythm, despite starting with some intent. The visitors have shown they can compete at this level, and the final will be their next test.