Romanian_Cup_2006_2007

Rapid București won the National Cup for the second consecutive time and for the 13th time in their history, after defeating Poli Timișoara 2-0 (1-0) on Saturday, in the competition's final, held on the "Dan Păltinișan" stadium. Goal scorers were Buga in the 15th and Zicu in the 48th. Poli Timișoara footballers went to church early on Saturday in order to pray before the match against Rapid, fearing bad luck, after the team's coach bus had been involved in a collision with a tram the day before. Rapid players entered the pitch holding a banner displaying the two clubs' emblems and a message which read "Friends before and friends after". Upon entering the field, Rapid players were booed by the crowd, to which they retorted by applauding the local hostility. Their gesture was rewarded with applause by the Timișoara crowd. Also present in the stands were President Traian Băsescu, LPF President Dumitru Dragomir, FRF President Mircea Sandu. Poli Timișoara's supporters put on a display of white and violet plates, violet smoke bombs and confetti which engulfed a large part of the field. Rapid forward Viorel Moldovan played the final match of his career announcing he would retire from official competitions at the end of the season. Moldovan was booed by Timișoara supporters as he entered the field in the 82nd.

Coach Valentin Velcea declared he was sorry that fans were disappointed by the Cup defeat and he was hoping that Poli would reach another final as soon as possible. "We lost a chance of going out into Europe. The balance of the match was ruined, and rightfully so, causing Rapid to gain control. If we had been more confident in the first half, we could have scored. This is football, it punishes you if you don't respect it. Had I known that Omoduemuke would make a mistake typical of an amateur, I wouldn't have sent him in. Anyway, his gesture is inexplicable. The guys are devastated because of this defeat", pointed out Velcea.

In his turn, Rapid coach Răzvan Lucescu declared that he had focused on the Cup to the detriment of the fight for second place since this is a clean competition, while "the championship is known to be buyable". "We were the better team, we desperately wanted to win the trophy. This cup means a lot and I chose it to the detriment of second place. The Cup is a clean competition, while the championship is known to be buyable", Lucescu said.

Romania will also be represented in the UEFA Cup by CFR Cluj, who will play in the second preliminary round, after finishing third in the championship standings. Romanian champion, Dinamo, will enter the third preliminary round of the Champions League, with Steaua (seeded second) going into the second preliminary round of the competition.