Article by Tudor Belivacă – Published Friday, 08 May 2026 23:03 / Updated Friday, 08 May 2026 23:32
CFR Cluj asked for a penalty in the 50th minute of the match with University of Craiovafrom stage #8 of the Superliga play-off, ended with a score of 0-0.
CFR Cluj was the more offensive team, and in the 50th minute Lorenzo Biliboc was served with a long ball on the flank. The U21 player passed in the center of the box, and the ball reached Cordea who shot into the arm of Adrian Rus.
Istvan Kovacs did not show the point with VAR, but the phase was analyzed for 5 minutes. In the end, Kovacs ruled offside in Lorenzo Biliboc's original position.
The phase that ignited the spirits in CFR Cluj – Universitatea Craiova: the Transylvanians asked for a penalty, Istvan Kovacs did not give
The VAR check took a long time because the offside position of Lorenzo Biliboc was not very clear. Even on the replays with lines it is not very clear that the player from CFR Cluj is out of the game.
Daniel Pancu, the Transylvanian coach, started the agitation on the sidelines, hoping that his team would receive a penalty. After consultation with the referees in the VAR room, Marcel Bîrsan and Valentin Porumbel, Istvan Kovacs decided that the game should be restarted with a throw-in from the University of Craiova at the edge of the small square.
The team of referees from the match at the stadium in Gruia:
Referee: Istvan Kovacs // A1: Ferencz Tunyogi // A2: Ionuț Neacșu
VAR Referee: Marcel Bîrsan // Assistant VAR: Cosmin Bojan
Book: Iulian Calin // Obs. referees: Zoltan Szekely
Each team has two more games to play this season. CFR Cluj still has Dinamo and FC Argeș to play, while Craiova University still has U Cluj and Rapid to play. Olteni have 46 points and are first in the ranking, and CFR Cluj has 41 and is in 3rd place.
Ranking in the Superliga play-off
