Romania round-up: Rapid almost there

With three matches left to play, FC Rapid Bucuresti moved within touching distance of the Divizia A title with a 3-1 win against CF Gloria Bistrita 1922.

Seven-point lead
Rapid maintained their seven-point lead over FC Steaua Bucuresti, with Nigerian striker Henry Makinwa heading the home side into the lead after seven minutes, although Constantin Abranas equalised eight minutes later.

Spectacular strike
Belgian strike Emmanuel Godfroid restored Rapid's advantage with a spectacular goal after 21 minutes, and Makinwa sealed the victory nine minutes after half-time, heading his second and the team's third.

Steaua success
Steaua kept their slender title hopes alive with a 5-2 win at home to bottom side FC UTA Arad, who took the lead through Jeremy Njock after 35 minutes. Sorin Paraschiv equalised before half-time, and goals early in the second half from Marian Aliuta and Claudiu Raducanu put the home side in complete command.

Three for Raducanu
Raducanu added a second penalty nine minutes from time before completing his hat-trick three minutes later. Ovidiu Panaitescu scored a late consolation for Arad.

Universitatea on the up
FC Universitatea Craiova continued to climb the table with a 2-1 win against FC Brasov. Goals from Ionut Savu and Corneliu Papura in eight second-half minutes gave Universitatea the win, with Bogdan Nicolae scoring a last-minute consolation for the away side.
 
National defeated
Universitatea moved within a point of FC National Bucuresti, who slipped to a 2-0 defeat at FC Arges Dacia-Pitesti, with goals from Raul Marincau and Adrian Iordache coming either side of the dismissal of National's Gabriel Caramarin.
 
Winning run
Elsewhere, FC Dinamo Bucuresti earned a third successive victory at home against struggling CS Otelul Galati, with Cornel Frasineanu scoring the only goal of the game midway through the first half, and FC Farul Constanta moved away from the relegation zone and earned three important points away to FCM Bacau, with Ionut Badescu getting the winning goal three minutes from time.

High-scoring wins
CF Sportul Studentesc slipped deeper into relegation trouble with a 3-2 defeat at Astra Ploiesti, while FC Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt defeated FC Politehnica AEK Timisoara by the same scoreline.