Heavy rain and a gusty wind before the start. The teams come out of the changing rooms, the sun comes out. “MCMXXI”, the famous Viola fan faction, celebrates its 16th anniversary. Poli start with Porumb at left stoper and the junior Marincu behind the top. Terrible pitch.

The “South Lawn” unleashes an old-fashioned smoke show, the match is interrupted for a minute. We’re in the sixth minute.

After 13 minutes, the hosts open the scoring. Free-kick from the right side of the box, wide of the goal. The ball is sent by Gîsă on the ground, the ball is deflected by Porumb and trickles (agonisingly, in the old wooden language; these are different times, and the wooden language is different) into the net. 1-0 to the Greens.

In the 39th minute it’s 2-0. Hench in the box by Porumb and former ripensista C. Toma converts the penalty. Just five minutes later and the defender C. Toma hits the goal from 12 m. 3-0, hallucinating, it’s half-time. Poli, in attack, didn’t count.

It’s raining like in Bacovian poems. Or Verlaine’s. Il pleure dans mon cœur / Comme il pleut sur la ville. But let’s make it poetry…

Zaluschi, who left Poli in the winter, has the first chance of the second half (57 mins). He shoots, the ball is deflected and held by Murariu.

Poli reduce the handicap also from a penalty, awarded for a foul on the captain’s stopper Bocșan and converted by the newcomer Bîrnoi. It’s the 68th minute, there’s still time.

The guests finally start to press. In the 78th minute, from a corner on the right, the ball trickles across the face of goal. Bocșan is sent on top. In the 90th minute, a host defender saves from near the goal line. Instead we note another shot wide by Niakate (84).

Dumbrăvița – Poli 3-1, a score that a year or two ago seemed like science fiction. Tough defeat against an extremely well organized team. The white-violets lose (away) both county derbies of this regular season of the second league.

The players go to greet their gallery. The fans turn their backs. But they give a standing ovation to Amariei, the club’s former junior, on loan at Dumbrăvița.

We need to close ranks and line up in a fighting formation. It’s now time to fight in the trenches.

A historic void stretches, / On the same times I find myself… / And I feel how by so much rain / The heavy pillars collapse.

CSC Dumbrăvița: Trifon – Gîsă, Zurbagiu (captain), C. Toma – Paulevici (79, Ghinescu), Curea, I. Tănase, Ouadie (58, Niakate), Amariei – Zaluschi (79, P. Simon), Piftor (90+3, Martinov). Reserves: Mikloș – Capătă, Moțiu, A. Olaru, Toroc. Coach: Cosmin Stan

Poli Timisoara: Murariu – D. Radu, Bocșan (c), Porumb (59, Sekulic), Taub (59, Oanea) – Tiihonen, Ignea – Gîdea (78, D. Benzar), Marincu (78, Mada), Stojanovic (59, Bîrnoi) – Gavra. Reserves: D. Moldovan – Târșa, T. Călin, Gologan. Coach: Octavian Benga

 

Closing statements:

Octavian Benga:

Listen to audio here

Cosmin Stan:

Listen to audio here