Man, oh man! Sunday evening in Ovidiu, Farul Constanța had a scare of epic proportions, but in the end they saved themselves from relegation on penalties. 1-1 after 90 minutes and extra time, 4-2 on penalties, after the first leg had been 3-3. I was sipping a beer at Fane's on the terrace watching the game when I hear: "Dude, are these guys playing football or hopscotch?" Well, that's exactly what Basarab Panduru said on Prima Sport: "You can't be this bad. They had trouble with a Liga 3 team today. Hopscotch football, I didn't think in 2026 you could still see such a thing." And he's right, bro! Farul, a Superliga team, with Alibec and all, trembling against a Chindia that's worse than a neighborhood team from Berceni. Come on, let's be serious! If Mioara had seen me jumping around the TV at every chance, she'd think I'd gone crazy.
Now, let's look at the facts. Daniel Florea, Chindia's striker, opened the scoring in the 9th minute, like the veteran he is. But the hosts equalized in the 56th minute through Eduard Radaslavescu. Farul dominated, but Alibec hit the bar twice, Cojocaru also missed, so the match went to the penalty lottery. On penalties, the Constanța boys were cooler: they scored four times, while Pandele and Iulian Roșu missed for the Târgoviște side. And that's it, Farul saved, Chindia in Liga 2. Well, that's football: some celebrate, others cry.
The kicker: Daniel Florea, the 38-year-old lad, announced his retirement right at the end. He said: "This was the last match of my career." Originally from Târgoviște, Florea racked up 211 matches and 57 goals for Chindia, and he considered the 2019 promotion his finest moment, not the 2016 title with Astra. Good for him, the man was loyal to his hometown team! I respect him, because not everyone does that. Look, I have a friend, Mitică, who's been saying he'll quit smoking for 10 years, but he still smokes like a chimney.
Chindia's coach, Nicu Croitoru, announced he's a free agent after the playoff: "My agreement with the club was for this period. It's a déjà-vu, it's the second time I lose a playoff on penalties." He said Pandele missed due to youth and lack of experience. What can I say, the kid is 20, he got scared. That's how penalties are: some slot them like in training, others shake like a leaf. Man, I'd tell Brian: "See, my boy, that's not how you do it! You gotta have guts, not shrink!"
And now, there's another playoff to watch: Monday at 8:30 PM, FC Voluntari - FC Hermannstadt. In the first leg, the Sibiu side won 3-2, so Voluntari has to give it their all. Meanwhile, Corvinul Hunedoara and Sepsi Sf. Gheorghe have directly promoted to the Superliga, and from the top league, Unirea Slobozia and Metaloglobus București have been relegated. So, bro, Romanian football is madness: today you're up, tomorrow you cry at the lottery. Come on, let's have a beer at Fane's, I've got some stories to tell!
