Farul – CFR Cluj 1-2. Daniel Pancu (48 years old), the coach of CFR Cluj, felt sick during and after the match in Ovidiu, at the end of which his team mathematically qualified for the play-off. At the end, at the press conference and flash-interview, came his second, Laurentiu Rus (40 years old).
Pancu lived the match with his soul in his mouth, and in the first part he was seen extremely agitated on the sidelines. He was also warned with a yellow card, following a nervous reaction to the referee. He will be suspended with Dinamo, in the last match of the regular season, reaching the fourth since he took over the team.
The coach poured out his nerves on Cristian Panin, the official who tried to calm him down. And the state of tension, huge in this match, where the stakes were incredible, had consequences on the state of health of the Cluj technician.
Pancu has been asking for medication ever since, and in the end he was not able to come in front of the journalists, still feeling sick.
Daniel Pancu accused medical problems, after the match with Farul
“Daniel Pancu is not feeling very well. He asked for some vitamins and medicine since the first half. There was a lot of stress, he consumed a lot and I think these things affected his health. That's why I came to the conference.
It is an extremely happy moment for us. Everyone should be congratulated, from the maids to Mr. President. We managed to get out of the mud and climbed a mountain. I don't think anyone expected us to get here.
The joy will be short-lived, however, because an extremely important match is coming up in Craiova. We know what kind of opponent he is,” said second baseman Laurentiu Rus, after the match, at the press conference.
The conclusions of Laurentiu Rus, after qualifying for the play-off
“The phases are interpretable. In the first, Matei hits the ball with his head, in the second I can't tell from that angle. There are situations that, after all, the referees interpret. We are not in a position to comment.
We take it step by step, match by match. The boys train great and follow everything we tell them. It was a little different today. At Hermannstadt I stayed for about four minutes, the VAR referee was also called. Now the experience was much shorter. During the game we didn't see anything, we were convinced that there wouldn't be a penalty.
I analyzed the people from Farul very well. I knew that they start games extremely aggressively at home, that they alternate combination play, with short passes, with direct play. They had two strikers in very good form. We were aware that we had to close down the central area, redirect them to the lateral areas, and any ball won there be fruitful. Defensively, I don't think they had any clear chances.
We relaxed a bit in the second half. Some children came in and maybe that gave the boys a sense of relaxation. We botched a transition and ended up in a situation where we were looking at refereeing decisions. At 2-0, the game could be closed much more easily.
CFR reached the play-off after 10 consecutive victories
The play-off is always nice and the start is very important. The matches with U Cluj are special, they will always be local derbies. Until we get closer to game day, we need to be more tempered in our statements and the way we prepare for games.
I don't think we need to incite violence or bring ideas that can amplify a mass effect. We who speak and convey messages must be temperate. The effects can be regrettable. It is a football match and must be played only on the pitch.
Much has been discussed about Gino Iorgulescu's statement, but I prefer to enjoy our qualification in the play-offs. It was hard and there was a lot of pressure. Ten well-deserved, hard-earned victories. Congratulations to Pancu, the energy he brought to the team was incredible. We are enjoying tonight and preparing for the games to come“, said Rus, after the match.
Images from Farul – CFR Cluj 1-2
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