Cătălin Cîrjan, down! Dinamo's captain missed a penalty with CFR and remains goalless in the Superliga this year
Article by Alexandru Stanciu – Published Monday, 09 March 2026 22:04 / Updated Monday, 09 March 2026 22:05
Cătălin Cîrjan (23 years old), the captain of Dinamo, missed a penalty kick in the epilogue of the last round of the regular season in the Super League, in the 0-2 away defeat against CFR Cluj.
During the winter mercato period, Cătălin Cîrjan received an offer from Metalist Harkov, but decided to refuse the proposal from Ukraine. Later, the midfielder extended his contract with Dinamo until 2029, and his new termination clause amounted to 5 million euros.
However, since that moment, Cîrjan managed only one goal in this calendar year, in the victory with Hermannstadt in the Romanian Cup, score 2-0.
VIDEO. Cătălin Cîrjan missed a penalty kick in CFR Cluj – Dinamo
After Daniel Pancu's team entered the break with a two-goal lead, Dinamo tried to get back into the match, but Cîrjan missed the “dogs' best chance”.
In the 85th minute of the match at “Dr. Constantin Rădulescu”, Ianis Tarbă sent a shot from outside the box, which was blocked by Damjan Djokovic with his arm, the Croatian being in the penalty area.
“Central” Szabolcs Kovacs immediately dictated a penalty for Dinamo, a decision also confirmed by the VAR room. Cătălin Cîrjan assumed the responsibility and executed to the right of the goalkeeper, but Mihai Popa guessed the trajectory and managed to repel in the corner.
Cîrjan scored only 4 goals this season in the Superliga, the last success dating from December 14, 2025, when he scored a goal in the victory with Metaloglobus, score 4-0, a match in which Dinamo's captain had an account and an assist.
Previously, Cîrjan scored a goal each in the victories with Oțelul Galați (1-0), Petrolul Ploiești (3-0) and Metaloglobus (1-0).
In the previous season, Cîrjan scored 7 goals in the 39 matches played in the Superliga.
