Dinamo trounces reigning champion Universitatea Craiova 5-1 in Romanian Superliga derby

Early dominance

Dinamo București took control from the opening whistle, pressing high and earning an early corner. In the 8th minute, Cătălin Cîrjan's delivery was met by Raul Opruț, who nodded the ball back across goal for Alex Pop to flick on, and Alberto Soro stabbed it home from close range to give the hosts their first goal of the new season. Universitatea Craiova, already wobbling, threatened twice through Steven Nsimba and David Matei, but goalkeeper Alaa Bellaarouch was equal to both. A costly error by Craiova's debutant Ronaldo Webster then decided the next goal: his weak back pass was intercepted by Danny Armstrong in the 29th minute, and Armstrong's square ball found Alexandru Musi unmarked to sweep into an empty net for 2-0.

VAR drama and a red card

The closing stages of the first half turned chaotic. Musi thought he had his second in the 43rd minute, tapping in after a goalkeeping error by Răzvan Sava, but the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) disallowed the goal for a handball by the scorer. Deeper into stoppage time, Musi sprinted through on goal and was hauled down by Juraj Badelj, the last defender. Referee Istvan Kovacs pointed to the spot but was summoned to the monitor. Replays showed the contact occurred just outside the penalty area; Kovacs overturned the penalty and awarded a free kick, yet the red card stood because Badelj had denied an obvious goalscoring opportunity. The Craiova defender was dismissed in the 45+6 minute, leaving the champions a man down heading into the break.

Nsimba's response and Dinamo's surge

Craiova, despite the deficit, struck immediately after half-time. In the 50th minute, Nsimba capitalised on hesitant defending by Martín Pascual and Stoinov, rifling a shot into the top corner to cut the lead to 2-1. The champions almost levelled moments later when Samuel Teles forced another save from Bellaarouch. Dinamo, however, reasserted control. Alexandru Pop made it 3-1 after a prolonged VAR review. His 63rd-minute finish was initially flagged for offside, but replays showed the ball had been played by a Craiova defender, and the goal was given. The match then ran away from the visitors. Carlos Mora handled in his own box in the 76th minute, and Cîrjan calmly dispatched the resulting penalty to make it 4-1. Right at the death, Soro swung in a free-kick and Pascual atoned for his earlier mistake with a powerful header in the 90+2 minute.

Racist chanting and match suspension

A disturbing incident interrupted the flow of the second half. According to Mediafax, forward Steven Nsimba complained to the referee about racist abuse from a section of the crowd. Play was temporarily halted, though the exact length of the stoppage and any subsequent steps by the match officials were not detailed in the immediate post-match reports.

Context and aftermath

The victory was Dinamo's first of the campaign after a 0-1 loss at Petrolul Ploiești in the opening round. Universitatea Craiova, who had travelled back from a 0-1 defeat at Levski Sofia in the first leg of the Champions League second qualifying round, opted to rest several regular starters ahead of the return fixture. The 5-1 score line represents the heaviest league loss for the reigning champions since they lifted the title. Dinamo coach Nuno Campos will look to build on this statement win, while his counterpart Filipe Coelho faces a rapid recovery mission with the European tie looming.