“We haven't had anything like this happen in a long time! The three of them had an exceptional game”

Ashley Davis06/11/2025

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Article by Romeo Ene – Published on Thursday, 06 November 2025, 22:31 / Updated on Thursday, 06 November 2025 22:32

FC Basel – FCSB 3-1. Mihai Stoica (60 years old), the official of the Romanian champion, offered the first reaction after the failure in Switzerland. He spoke of bad luck and praised three players. It is about captain Darius Olaru and defenders Daniel Graovac and Alexandru Pantea.

He didn't want to name any players when asked by the wrongdoers. It's an undeserved failure in his view, he praised the team for the game, but he believes that the chances of qualification have decreased.

FCSB still have Red Star Belgrade (away), Feyenoord (home), Dinamo Zagreb (away) and Fenerbahce (home) to play. MM Stoica says FCSB only qualify with three wins.

MM Stoica, statements after Basel – FCSB 3-1: “I couldn't say that there weren't players who performed below their quota. I don't nominate”

“It's been a long time since we've been so unlucky in a European game. I'm very sorry because some players had an almost perfect game. I was looking at the statistics, we had 7 shots on goal in 10 men.

It's an undeserved defeat, I think we deserved much more. Unfortunately, the penalty was scored with a lot of luck. They scored out of nowhere in the second. The ball from the post of the goal to be deflected, to reach Shaqiri, such things rarely happen.

It is important that we played, we did not disarm, we were superior to a team with a fence. A Swiss team that was not at all superior to us, even if they played in numerical superiority.

It is very difficult to abstract from the result. I couldn't say that there weren't also players who performed below their quota. I don't nominate, but I think it's obvious to many who were the best.

Pantea or Graovac had an exceptional game, and we didn't play in 10, because as long as Olaru was on the field, we played in 11. He makes more sprints than four attacking players.

I can't explain my mistakes because I didn't make them. Mistakes are seen at all levels. They also see each other at Real Madrid. With a goalkeeper, when you make a mistake, it immediately stands out and the result remains.

I can tell who played very well. Furthermore, I have no way of criticizing the players immediately after the match. We need three wins from four games. We have strong opponents. Red Star won with Lille, Feyenoord and Fenerbahce are very good teams.

At this stage, any positive result is a bonus. Last year was an exceptional development, as if we were also protected by chance. I stayed in the 10 with PAOK, I played great defensively.

We had something to defend. We stayed in 10 now at 1-0 to them. Immediately from that phase, a penalty was awarded and we scored. What can we say? We take the positives, we have some players who are fit, and when the others recover, we will be the invincible team of last year again.

Daniliuc is a good player, a position we suffer from. I think it would be really good news for the national team and for Romanian football”, said Mihai Stoica, on Prima Sport 1.