Moruțan debuts as Rapid București secures late victory to keep title hopes alive
Rapid București secured their 13th victory of the Romanian Superliga season with a 2-1 away win against UTA Arad. This crucial result in the 23rd round lifts the "Giuleștenii" back to second place, trailing leaders CS Universitatea Craiova by a single point.
The home side threatened early when defender Cristian Manea was forced to clear a header off the goal line in the 9th minute. UTA Arad eventually broke the deadlock in the 19th minute as Marius Coman beat the goalkeeper at the near post.
Rapid equalized just before the interval. Following a handball by Ukrainian defender Dmitro Pospelov, referee Sebastian Colțescu awarded a penalty after a VAR review. Alexandru Dobre converted the spot-kick, marking his 13th goal of the campaign.
Tactical changes and decisive debut
The turnaround was completed in the 79th minute by Brazilian substitute Leo Bolgado. The defender headed home the winner following a corner delivered by Olimpiu Moruțan, who made his debut for the Bucharest club.
"I believe we deserved to win. The substitutes made the difference tonight," stated Rapid manager Constantin Gâlcă. He emphasized the team's intensity and defensive organization as key factors in the comeback.
Race for the play-offs
While Rapid celebrates their return to the top two, UTA Arad slides to 8th place with 35 points. In other action, Oțelul Galați dominated Csikszereda Miercurea-Ciuc with a 3-0 home victory.
This result propels Oțelul to 6th place with 36 points. They currently hold the final spot required for qualification into the championship play-off phase.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
