Football team Steaua Bucharest managed to pull a spectacular comeback against Ajax Amsterdam last night at the National Arena in Bucharest and qualified for the Europa League last sixteen, after extra time and penalties.

Few of Steaua's fans believed in a miracle, after Ajax beat Steaua 2-0 last week in Amsterdam, but the team managed by Laurentiu Reghecamf entered the field determined to beat the odds and qualify. Steaua managed to put constant pressure on Ajax from the first minutes of the game, and scored a few minutes before the end of the first half, when Latovlevici put the ball over the Ajax goalkeeper.

In the second half Steaua increased the pressure and it was a shot by stopper Vlad Chiriches that made it 2-0 for Steaua and leveled the score on aggregate. Ajax tried to fight back, but the Romanian team defended precisely and continued the attacks pushing the game into extra time and then to the penalties.

About 40,000 fans on National Arena in Bucharest cheered for Steaua before the shootout. Steaua's next opponent will be Chelsea Londra, the holders of last year's Champions League.

CFR Cluj, the other Romanian team that played in this phase of Europa League, failed to qualify after they lost in Cluj against Internazionale Milano 0-3. It was 0-2 in the first round in Milan.

editor@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Steaua's Facebook page)