Romania’s FCSB qualifies for Europa League group stage

The Romanian football team FCSB qualified for the main phase of the Europa League football competition on Thursday, August 28, after besting Scotland’s Aberdeen 3-0 (1-0) at home, in Bucharest.

The teams seemed evenly matched until the 40th minute, when the hosts requested a penalty after a FCSB player fell in the penalty area. After the VAR double-check, Norwegian referee Espen Eskas awarded the Romanian team a penalty and sent off an Aberdeen player with his second yellow card.

As such, Aberdeen was left with 10 players on the field early on, and FCSB scored thanks to the penalty before halftime.

The second half started with a superb goal scored by Romanian player Adrian Şut, with a shot from 25 meters, in the 52nd minute. Three minutes later, the visitors’ goalkeeper, Mitov, saved a shot from inside the box by Florin Tănase, and then the 59th minute brought the third goal for FCSB.

Dispirited, the Scottish team posed no more threats for FCSB.

FCSB won 3-0 against Aberdeen and, with a 5-2 aggregate score, qualified for the group stage of the Europa League. The team will receive EUR 7 million from UEFA for qualifying, aside from the ticket sales and TV broadcasting rights.

After the match, FSCB coach Elias Charalambous said the team is ready for the group stage. “It is a very pleasant feeling. It is the second time in a row that we qualify, and this result is a huge one for us. It is very important both for the players and for the supporters, and today I believe that everyone – on the field and in the stands – deserves to celebrate what we have achieved,” he said, cited by Digi24.

“I would like to play against Mourinho’s team. Why not?” stated Elias Charalambous, referring to the Turkish team Fenerbahce.

Also yesterday, Romanian football team Universitatea Craiova qualified for the group stage of the Conference League after beating Istanbul Bașakșehir. The team also secured EUR 4.3 million for its feat.

(Photo source: FCSB on Facebook)