Romania round-up: Rapid out in front

FC Rapid Bucuresti ensured they entered Divizia A's winter break on a high with a comprehensive 5-1 win against FC Farul Constanta on Sunday.

Ten-point lead
Mircea Rednic's Rapid take a ten-point lead into the New Year after their latest victory, their 13th from 15 league games this season. A goal from Ioan Ovidiu Sabau and doubles from Valentin Badoi and Robert Nita put paid to Constanta, for whom Milos Bogdanovic scored a consolation.

Old boy strikes
Meanwhile, FC Dinamo Bucuresti's Cosmin Barcauan sank his former club FC Universitatea Craiova with a 49th-minute goal to seal a 1-0 victory. Dinamo remain in second place.

Trica triumph
On Saturday, a solitary goal from Eugen Trica against CS Otelul Galati enabled FC Steaua Bucuresti to leap up to third - a remarkable recovery given their dismal start to the season. Claudiu Raducanu should have doubled the margin of victory, but missed a 74th-minute penalty shortly after Otelul's Adrian Iordache had been sent off for a second bookable offence.

National slip
FC National Bucuresti slipped to fourth after their 3-1 defeat at the hands of FC Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt. It was a tale of two penalties as Ceahlaul's Costel Ilie kept his nerve to add to Adrian Solomon's first-minute opener, but National's Sergiu Radu missed from the spot midway through the second half. Within five minutes Florin Axinia had made it 3-0 and Victor Iacob's 90th-minute reply came far too late to stage a comeback.

Crucial Cursaru
Elsewhere, FC Brasov hit the woodwork twice but were beaten 4-0 by FCM Bacau. Cristian Ciocoiu's early penalty was followed by a Catalin Cursaru double either side of an Andrei Cristea goal as Bacau climbed to ninth.

UTA under pressure
In the day's other games, CF Sportul Studentesc recorded a 2-0 away win against FC Arges-Dacia Pitesti thanks to a double from Ionut Mazilu and CF Gloria Bistrita 1922 had no problem beating FC UTA Arad, who were sunk by strikes from Sandu Negrean, Cristian Coroian, Sorin Bucuroaia and Lucian Sanmartean. Jeremy Njock scored a consolation for UTA in the 4-1 defeat, which meant his side remained under pressure at the foot of the table.

Sunk by subs
Astra Ploiesti relied on goals from two substitutes to beat FC Politehnica AEK Timisoara, who had taken the lead through Ciprian Prodan. Daniel Movila came off the bench to score an equaliser which infuriated Politehnica playmaker Romulus Buia to the extent that he was dismissed for foul and abusive language, paving the way for Astra sub Daniel Costescu to score the winner nine minutes from time.