Article by Alexandru Barbu – Published Sunday, December 21, 2025, 22:07 / Updated Sunday, December 21, 2025 22:17
1. With Lixandru stopper and Pantea left defender, FCSB was over Rapid in the first act. Possession, shots on and at goal, corners – all in favor of the champion.
- VIDEO | This is how FCSB opened the scoring at the National Arena:
2. Giulești were expected to come back in the second half, they kept alternating the innings in this championship. From the booths, the superior team remained FCSB: Bîrligea lost 1 to 1 with Aioani, Tănase doubled the advantage from a penalty kick.
3. Copy-paste after the end of the roundwhen Rapid revoke a 0-2 in the 80th minute? Almost. Dobre scores, from the penalty. But Kovacs does not sanction the light contact between Šut and Hromada. It would have been a Romanian penalty.
4. Gâlcă keeps complaining that he doesn't have a valuable enough herd, bushy enough to shoot for the title. The place in the ranking still urges the coach to declare what he wants, but Rapid's football has often been below the level of the team.
5. Indeed, Șucu would think speculatively and efficiently if in January he invested in the acquisition of two first-class players: a striker, Koljic is rudimentary, and another offensive midfielder of Christensen's caliber.
6. If Bîrligea will not be severely fined by the club after the gross crisis from the change, then FCSB will continue to cultivate indiscipline and defiance towards the technical staff.
7. Mihai Toma is the antonym of Tavi Popescu. Also costeliv, the U21 holder from FCSB copies from Cisotti's characteristics: humble, hardworking, how well he defends!, useful. Maybe life and career will cancel out the difference in talent between him and George in time. Speaking of U21 footballers: Alex Stoian, 18, a goal every 90 minutes in the FCSB shirt, would have been forced into the first “11” at many strong clubs in Europe. A peak like our football produces once every few years.
8. Dani Grigore consulted the Wyscout data the other day and noted that the hierarchy of League 1 according to expected points, the expected number of points after the quality of performances, has FCSB in the play-off, shockingly?, right in the 2nd position. I mean, the champion's game – that's what the monitors say, only for those who believe in them – is for the podium, not the play-out.
9. And the battle for the play-off in 2026 becomes all the more intense. If Rapid, Botoșani, Dinamo and Craiova are not beaten by anyone, not even declaratively, who will take the last two places? Fighting on the edge between FC Argeș, Oțelul, U Cluj, UTA, FCSB and CFR. Heavy bets are coming at holiday meals.
10. This is for those who challenge the play-off and play-out system. Yes, there are too many matches, most of them in Europe. Yes, it's unfair that earned points are deducted from the pen. But the current format injects an overdose of suspense and interest – read between the lines and millions of euros – into a mediocre competition.
