Steaua Bucharest had a good rehearsal before its start in the 2024 Champions League.
The Bucharest-based side defended the Romanian Cup.
The final tournament was played in Oradea. The quarterfinals and semifinals produced the expected outcomes. Steaua and CSM Oradea, the best Romanian clubs, met in the final.
CSM Oradea trashed Rapid Bucharest in the semifinals (19:8), while Steaua recorded a narrow 10:9 win over Dinamo Bucharest.
The hosts started excellently in the final. Oradea had a 6:2 lead at halftime. Steaua halved the gap by the end of the third period (5:7), but Oradea rebuilt a 4-goal advantage in the fourth period (9:5). Still, Steaua caught up with the home team at the finish of the game. The reigning champions leveled the score at 10:10 and prolonged the match to a penalty shootout.
Staeaua netted four and conceded three goals in the shootout for a 14:13 victory and its fourth consecutive Romanian Cup (and the 15th in a total).
Dinamo beat Rapid 10:9 in the bronze-medal match.
Oradea’s Filip Gardasevic was voted the MVP of a three-day tournament.
2023/24 Romanian Men’s Cup, Final Eight (Oradea)
Quarterfinals: Rapid Bucharest – Hello Sport 18:4, Dinamo Bucharest – Politehnica Cluj-Napoca 35:6, CSM Oradea – Sportul Studentesc 26:6, Steaua Bucharest – CSU Oradea 20:7
Semifinals
Steaua – Dinamo 10:9 (6:2, 2:2, 1:3, 1:2)
CSM Oradea – Rapid 19:8
FINAL
Steaua – CSM Oradea 14:13 (2:3, 0:3, 3:1, 5:3, PSO 4:3)
Other matches for the final standings: 3rd-place match: Dinamo Bucharest – Rapid Bucharest 10:9, 5th-place match: CSU Oradea – Sportul Studentesc 13:4, 7th-place match: Politehnica Cluj – Hello Sport 13:5.
