Politehnica Timișoara football team broke the ice after two consecutive defeats in this season of the 3rd League.

In the 12th round, the score against Lotus Băile Felix was 1-0 (0-0). The only goal of the match was scored by David Popa, in the 90th minute, when he masterfully executed a free kick from 25 meters, almost perpendicular to the goal. The ball hit the crossbar and fell violently just beyond the goal line.

By then both teams had chances. Marincu (12, shot wide, and 41, when he shot from an angle into the goalkeeper), Boariu (31, shot over), D. Popa (33, shot caught by the goalkeeper), respectively Blăgea (15, bar from a free kick, and 18, shot wide) and Oltean (34, header saved by the goalkeeper) were the goals of the first half.

In the second half, scoring chances were hard to come by. Nagy (71, last-gasp finish from a deep pass), Erceanu (78, shot caught by the keeper), Grancea (87, shot saved). Beyond, only Duma (83, shot saved by the goalkeeper).

And then came the last minute of normal time, the goal from a free kick, when so few believed!….

D. Popa’s fantastic potential had already been seen five minutes earlier, when he sent a “luminous”, big player’s pass to Grancea, who was blocked by the Bihorean goalkeeper.

At last, the oldest player in the white-violet squad (although he is only 26 years old!!!), as well as the most valuable (a former youth international, he played four years with Birmingham City’s juniors, with matches in the Finnish Premier League!), took over the leadership role of the white-violet team and recalled last season’s top scorer.

Politehnica: Mosoarcă – Nagy, D. Rosu, Vlaicu, R. Ciurel – I. L. Rotariu, Pureca – Marincu (c) (65, Avramescu), D. Popa, Boariu (46, Erceanu) – Istratie (79, Grancea) – Reserves: Enășescu – Miclăuș, Hus, D. Roșca. Coach: Cristian Gălan.

In the standings, Poli move up to 5th place with 16 points, four points away from 4th place, the last play-off qualifier.

In the next round, the student team will play away against Gloria Lunca Teuz Cermei.

“We had a very good first half from my point of view. It looked exactly how we wanted it to look from a game point of view. We created situations to score, even two or three very, very good situations plus we were able to have consistency in the game. In fact in very many of the last games, even if we lost them, we had that. But once again in this game, until the 90th minute, when we managed to score, we really struggled to finish. Although we created very, very good situations. We’re still suffering in that area, we’re working on it every day. But it’s often down to the inspiration and individual value of the player.

We have 23 players in the squad and we have to use them. Whichever of them take the field, they are Poli’s players and they have to give everything on the pitch to win the game. We don’t think we are missing one player or another. We try to put the players on the pitch all the time, the players who are the best during training the previous week, so that in the end we try to win every game.

The atmosphere was very good, people were singing from the first minute to the last minute and even in the last five minutes of the game and in extra time they were getting louder and louder and that probably boosted our players as well. A lot of them maybe not being used to it, in fact certainly not being used to the pressure that is around us. Because whatever we say we are at Poli and we can’t afford anything else, there is pressure. We embrace it, it makes us responsible and probably some of our players, being young, are affected by this, but probably with each match that passes, they will gain more confidence, they will perform better… we still owe it to them!“, Cristian Gălan, head coach Politehnica Timisoara