Politehnica Timisoara won 7-0 (1-0) today at the “Science” against third division Aurul Brad. Daniel Benzar (2), Luchian Gologan, Alin Ignea, Ionuț Bătănași (2) and Aymar Meleke scored the goals of the white-violets in the last test before the first stage of the 2022-23 edition of the second division.

Benzar (15th minute) and Taub (20th) scored the first chances of the match, but both shots were not accurate enough. Our team had the initiative and created some good chances, with Pană’s (28 – crossbar) being the biggest one before the first goal. In the 39th minute Bîrnoi crossed the ball for Benzar in the box and he scored with a low shot.

On the restart, the same Daniel Benzar increased the lead (52nd minute) following a free-kick to the right of Raț. Another 11 minutes later Gologan took a move of his own and scored with a return shot. Towards the end the guests gave more and more ground and the score became 4-0 after Ignea (77) pushed the ball into the net from the second bar. Then the young Ionuț Bătănași scored a “double” (83, 85), with similar goals, into the empty net after dribbling past the goalkeeper. The score was closed by Aymar Kevin Meleke (89), who scored with a shot to Raț’s left after being left alone with him in the box.

POLITEHNICA (coach Bogdan Andone): Murariu (60, Isvoranu) – D. Radu (66, Jurj), Germinio (66, M. Andone), Tsvetkov (66, Ignea), Taub (66, Oanea), Plantak (66, Zaluschi), Pană (66, Bătănași), Bakoș (46, Gologan), Bîrnoi (66, A. Meleke), Mudrazija (46, Milea), Benzar (54, Bryneus).

Aurul Brad (coach Ioan Petcu): Raț – Leucian, Șoit, Lup, Talpaș, Pașca, Leaha, Bostan, Dărăban, Tecsi, I. Filipaș. Also entered: R. Filipaș, Achim, Dumitraș, Aprotosoaie and Stănilă.

Balica, Pureca, Moțiu, Olariu and Țurcaș played at the same time for Politehnica’s senior juniors, in a test won 2-1 against the juniors of the academy of Pécs (Hungary).

“The important thing was the training, the rhythm, which we tried to impose, not necessarily the score. It’s important that goals were scored, it’s very important that goals were scored, but I said last week, we still have a lot of work to do. We still have work to do on the relationships between the players, to get to know each other better, to feel better with each other. In the second half things connected a bit better because most of the players were Romanian. They knew each other. Even though the opponent also fell a little bit physically, but with more Romanian players, more players playing together, it was a little bit easier as a game. We still need time, that’s for sure,” said Bogdan Andone, head coach of Politehnica.

Our team also relied on two trial players for this game, Aymar Meleke and Oliver Bryneus (23 years old, IS Halmia), a Swedish left midfielder/forward who is training with our team after having played in friendlies for CSC Dumbrăvița. “I’ll think about making a decision today-tomorrow, because we’re entering the last week and I don’t like having players in trials, I hate that. Unfortunately we have reached the last week of the pre-season and from Monday I want to have the squad that will be for next season 100%, without players in tests or trials (…) I hope that if we do not manage to find what we want, we will manage to adapt somehow with the players we have in the group and if we do not find the classic newcomer we want, we will try to reprofile players we have or players with an offensive profile, to make up for the lack of this newcomer at least until the winter period. I don’t want to take players in the middle of the championship, because I don’t know their level of training, until they adapt, especially if it’s non-EU players, where we had several solutions, but we know very well that it takes a long time with the paperwork…”, concluded Andone.

On Saturday, August 6, in the first round of League 2, Politehnica plays at the “Știința” arena against Unirea Constanța.