2014-10-26 21:54:24

Universitatea faced Viitorul at home in a match in the 12th round of Liga 1 that finished 2-2.

At the start of the match, Universitatea Cluj's players came on to the field wearing shirts that had the quote "Legends never die" on them along with a picture of the late Mircea Neșu, who passed away this week. The audience observed a moment of silence before kickoff in memory of the man who helped "U" win the Romanian Cup in 1965. 

After a cagey start to the match, Mitriță broke the deadlock in the 21st minute with a sensational goal from 16 meters out. Viitorul came close to doubling their advantage a few minutes later when Mitrea's free kick went just wide of Veselovsky's goal. The away side eventually did manage to double their lead as Mitrea converted a penalty towards the end of the first half following Neag's foul on Tănase in the box.

Universitatea's young manager proved to be inspired as he brought Lemnaru and Ceppelini on at the start of the second half. After Veselovsky saved a shot from Tănase in the 50th minute, Lemnaru headed the ball straight at Buzbuchi a minute later following a cross from captain Dan Bucșa. Five minutes later, the same Bucșa headed the ball just wide of the post following a cross from Ciupe. Ogăraru's players finally managed to cut the deficit as Pablo Ceppelini scored from outside of the box with a fantastic shot that curled into the corner of the net. Gravenberch managed to equalize just 4 minutes later as his shot went in off the crossbar at the near post following a pass from Ceppelini. The 82nd minute saw substitute Răzvan Marin's excellent shot get saved by Veselovsky for a corner. The final whistle sealed the final score - a 2-2 draw. 

This round marked the first time this season that Universitatea scored through a stiker - Danzell Gravenberch. It's worth noting that the young Dutch player was turned into a striker even though he grew up playing as a defender. Previously, "U"'s number 26 was used as a defensive midfielder. 

Next round, Universitatea Cluj will face Gaz Metan Mediaș away from home on Saturday, November 1st at 15:30.

FC Universitatea Cluj – FC Viitorul 2–2

Goalscorers: Ceppelini (65’); Gravenberch (69’) / Mitriţă (21’); Mitrea (45’ penalty)

Yellow Cards: Škvorc (42’); Ciupe (71’); Muşat (80’) / Bonilla (71’)

„U” Cluj: Veselovsky; Ciupe; Škvorc; Neag (46’ Ceppelini); Muşat; Lungu; Bucşa; Cristocea (66’ Kovacs); Mengolo (46’ Lemnaru); Viveiros; Gravenberch. Manager: George Ogăraru; Alfons Groenendijk

FC Viitorul: Buzbuchi; Mitrea; Manea; Pană (63’ Seroni); Tănase; Mamele; Ţîru (79’ Marin); Bonilla; Mitriţă; Benzar; Andelkovic (53’ Nikolov). Manager: Gheorghe Hagi 

Referees: M. Bârsan (Bucureşti); V. Avram (Bucureşti); V. Bârleanu (Bucureşti)

Stadium: Dr. Mircea Luca

Violeta Merie