It was neither easy nor without its share of drama, but our women’s Superliga side eventually collected all three points away to newly promoted Rapid.
It was neither easy nor without its share of drama, but our women’s Superliga side eventually collected all three points away to newly promoted Rapid.
The match had barely begun when we took the lead. In the 4th minute, Nombot Annabelle’s shot took a deflection off a defender and found its way into the Rapid net, giving Kollár Péter’s side an early advantage.
The hosts responded quickly, however. In the 6th minute, Negrea Oana tried her luck from around 20 metres out on the right-hand side – most likely intending a cross, but the ball came off her foot awkwardly and looped high over Böröcz Bettina into the net.
The score remained level for only a minute. In the 7th minute, Zán-Fábián Panna reacted sharply to a poor back-pass and restored our lead.
We had chances to extend our advantage after that, but a third goal did not arrive, while Rapid gradually began to play with more confidence. In first-half stoppage time, the hosts equalised again: Bărbos Nicoleta met a cross from the right around 14 metres from goal, directing the ball over Böröcz and into the net. The teams therefore went into the break level at 2–2.
The game remained open for a long spell in the second half, and against an improving Rapid side it was particularly important for our team to remain patient and keep searching for another goal. It came in the 65th minute: after good interplay between Nombot Annabelle and Shala Jehona, Zán-Fábián Panna found herself in an unmissable position and rolled the ball into the empty net for her second goal of the match.
The destination of the three points was finally settled late on. A handball by the home defence resulted in a penalty, which captain Herczeg Andrea converted in the 87th minute. The goal was an especially fitting present for herself, as our captain was celebrating her 32nd birthday on the day of the match.
Head coach Kollár Péter said the team has experienced a noticeable mental and physical downturn since the European Cup match in Iceland, something that must be addressed as soon as possible.
“Since the match in Iceland, we have experienced a major drop both mentally and physically. We need to put that right, because our team cohesion has started moving in the wrong direction: there is too much individual play and too much negativity, and that also affects our performances in matches. We tried to draw attention to this, and hopefully everyone can sort it out within themselves, because one of the keys to our success lies precisely in this area,” our head coach said.
Kollár Péter added that the way the match unfolded also showed that the team is still going through periods of inconsistency.
“We took the lead very early, then the opposition equalised with a fortunate goal, and two minutes later we were in front again. We could not score the third goal, however, and Rapid gained confidence and equalised. They reached such a euphoric state that we had to be extremely careful in the second half. Fortunately, we took our chances and managed to win the game, but we made a huge number of mistakes. The positive is that despite all of this, we left the pitch as winners, and I congratulate the girls for that. I would now like everyone to get some proper rest, because there is more in us, and we need to prove it,” the head coach concluded.
Women’s Superliga, regular season, Matchday 4
FC Rapid 1923–FK Csíkszereda 2–4 (2–2)
Ștefăneștii de Jos, Dumitru Mătărău Stadium
Referee: Oprea Gabriel (Călărași). Assistant referees: Crăciun Maria Mirabela (Dâmbovița), Predica Denisa Ioana (Dâmbovița). Referee observer: Burcea Petrică (Giurgiu). Match delegate: Mihai Daniel Modrag (Ilfov).
Goalscorers: Negrea Oana (6), Bărbos Nicoleta (45+1), respectively Nombot Annabelle (4), Zán-Fábián Panna (7, 65), Herczeg Andrea (87 – penalty).
FC Rapid 1923: Lupașcu Ana – Bortea Sara, Popa Mădălina, Stoicescu Nathalia, Bărbos Nicoleta (c), Țimiraș Simona (Dodu Cerasela, 46), Stoian Carla (Tănase Ioana, 46), Vasile Daria (Rafailă Sara, 74), Neacșu Delia (Trandafir Elena, 46), Galau Bawm, Negrea Oana (Ciobanu Ana, 83). Head coach: Popescu Speranța Victoria Codruța.
FK Csíkszereda: Böröcz Bettina (Heim Sára, 89) – Efstratiou Antria, Katona Flóra (Tănase Dorina, 46), Zán-Fábián Panna (Zvenyák Johanna, 67), Orbán Aranka (Pap-Ieney Ingrid, 89), Nombot Annabelle (Lőrincz Kitti, 89), Fülöp Boglárka, Vincze Noémi, Szolomájer Leila, Shala Jehona, Herczeg Andrea (c). Head coach: Kollár Péter.
Yellow cards: Trandafir Elena (71), Stoicescu Nathalia (86), respectively Herczeg Andrea (79).
Our team will next be in action on September 19 at 13:00, when we host Politehnica Timișoara at the Burus Csaba Sport Park.
R. A.