Article by Alexandru Tomuțiu – Published Wednesday, February 11, 2026, 10:27 p.m. / Updated Wednesday, February 11, 2026 10:27 p.m.
Laszlo Balint (46 years old), the coach of the Steel, had a speech in which he expressed his dissatisfaction, after his team was beaten by U Clujscore 0-2, and eliminated from the Romanian Cup.
Laszlo Balint noted the poor form shown by his team in the last few games and admitted that the chances of the Steel entering the play-offs are minimal. The Galatians are in 10th place, with 37 points, 5 away from the 6th place.
He said what grievances he still has: the program from the last period, but also the fact that he does not have doubles on the posts.
Laszlo Balint, after U Cluj – Oțelul Galați: “The play-off is a chimera”
“We wanted to stay up, make them make mistakes, attack. We didn't come to defend a 0-0. It's frustrating for me: in games like this, if you don't manage to score and concede a goal with the first shot on goal, it's hard to complain.
In the second half, U Cluj highlighted its value. Victory cannot be questioned. Let me emphasize one thing: in December I was in a different reality. We had won in Giulesti, we had finished in the play-off place, we had 3 victories in a row. The reality has changed: we are no longer in the play-off place, we are eliminated from the Cup. We are a team that has lost four players.
We have to somehow get back to the Metaloglobus match. I'm not going to do like other coaches, yell, complain about the schedule. But I would like everyone to see that, of all the teams, we are the only one who played every three days. The others had at least one extra day. It is a period that has dragged us down a lot.
The match at Metaloglobus takes on a vital importance. 1,700 km by bus, in the conditions in which we played with Botoșani, then with Craiova. I saw that Mr. Mureșan was upset that he arrived at 1 o'clock. We, after the game in Craiova, arrived at 4 o'clock. It is an aspect, a record, I don't want it to be considered that I am using it as an excuse.
If we were a team that could afford charters, other leverage, it was clear that we would have looked different in terms of freshness. If we allowed ourselves to have doubles in positions, like U Cluj, it was a different situation. That is the reality. The play-off is a chimera, it's clear that it's out of reach at the moment. The objective is to stay in the first league”, said Laszlo Balint, at Prima Sport.
I don't comment on aberrations, it's over. Who knows me, knows me. No one will come to me and say something like that.
