Article by Cezar Titor – Published Saturday, April 18, 2026, 4:07 p.m. / Updated Saturday, April 18, 2026, 4:10 p.m.
Cristian Ponde, 31 years old, the Portuguese striker born in Maramureș, scored a wonderful goal in the 63rd minute of the party between Csikszereda and Unirea Sloboziacounting for round #5 of the play-out, decisive in the battle at the bottom of the hierarchy.
He shot from 25 meters, powerfully, with his right foot, the ball stopping directly in the net of Eduard Pap's goal.
VIDEO WITH THE GOAL. Cristian Ponde, super goal in Csikszereda – Unirea Slobozia
Introduced at half-time, in place of Vlad Pop, Ponde equalized at two for the Ialomiites, in a game with an extraordinary pace. As an idea, his shot was the 31st of the game and the 15th squared! It was played from one gate to another, the tempo being similar to one we see, for example, in a handball game.
Just a few minutes before, Slobozia wasted a monumental chance, one of the biggest opportunities of the championship. Teodor Lungu shot strongly from outside the box, but the ball was in the direction of Eduard Pap. However, the Ciucani goalkeeper failed to stop, and the ball reached Guy Dahan, also introduced at halftime by Claudiu Niculescu. From six meters, with the entire goal at his disposal, the Israeli sent into the arms of Pap.
The last time at Feirense, in the second echelon of Lusitanian football, Ponde registered his first success at Super League level today.
Born in Maramureș, he trained at the academy of Sporting Lisbon. Throughout his career, he also played for Karpaty Lvov, Grasshopper Zurich, Farense, Maritimo and Feirense, Slobozia being the first Romanian team in his CV.
“I was motivated a lot by the trust I felt from the club during the transfer discussions. I watched the Romanian championship over the years, as much as time allowed, and I knew it was a competitive, balanced league. It was also the curiosity to play in my native country. I really wanted to have an experience here until the end of my career”, he explained in an interview granted to GSP regarding the decision to sign in Bărăgan.
How the Superliga play-out standings look like:
