CSM Oradea won the Romanian Cup. The final tournament was held in Bucharest. Oradea clinched the trophy after it defeated Steaua Bucharest 12:11 in a penalty shootout in the final game. This was Oradea’s fourth winning trophy in the National Cup (2012, 2013, 2016,2020).
Oradea broke Steaua’s domination that lasted three years. Steaua won all six trophies in the domestic competitions in the past three seasons (three national titles and three cups).
Seven teams played at the final tournament. Host Steaua, as the winner of the last season’s Cup, directly qualified for the semifinals.
Oradea beat Poli Cluj-Napoca easily in the quarterfinals – 21:6. Dinamo Bucharest trashed Rapid Bucharest 22:2, while Corona Brasov defeated Sportul Studentesc 14:10.
The semifinal encounters offered no excitement. Steaua beat Corona by 12 goals (18:6), and Oradea recorded a convincing 12:7 win over Dinamo.
The final game was a real thriller. Oradea was leading 4:2 after the first eight minutes. Steaua took control after the first break and turned around a 2:4 deficit to a 6:5 lead by the middle break. The defenses dominated in the third period. Only one goal was scored – Oradea equalized, and the sides were tied (6:6) before the final quarter. Steaua dictated the pace in the fourth period and gained an 8:6 advantage. However, Oradea came back and secured a penalty shootout. Vlad Georgescu netted 8th goal for Oradea in a 7 on 6 attack (Oradea’s goalkeeper Gojko Pijetlovic joined his teammates in front of Steaua’s goal) just two seconds before the final buzzer – 8:8.
Oradea made no mistake in the shootout. After four series, the visitors were leading 4:3. Oradea’s goalkeeper Gojko Pijetlovic saved a shot from Steaua’s player in the 5th series, and everything was decided. Oradea won 12:11.
Corona Brasov, playing excellently in defense, beat Dinamo Bucharest 7:2 in the match for 3rd place.
Romanian Cup 2019/20, Final Tournament, Bucharest
Day 1
Quarterfinals
CSM Oradea – Poli Cluj-Napoca 21:6
Dinamo Bucharest – Rapid Bucharest 22:2 (5:0, 8:0, 5:0, 4:2)
CSM Corona Brasov – Sportul Studentesc 14:10 (4:2, 3:2, 3:4, 4:1)
Steaua Bucharest bye
Day 2
Classification 5th-7th place
Poli Cluj-Napoca – Rapid Bucharest 7:19
Semifinals
Steaua Bucharest – CSM Corona Brasov 18:6 (4:3, 6:1, 3:1, 5:1)
CSM Digi Oradea – Dinamo Bucharest 12:7
Day 3
For 5th place
Sportul Studentesc – Rapid Bucharest 11:7
For 3rd place
Corona Brasov – Dinamo Bucharest 7:2 (4:1, 1:0, 1:1,1:0)
FINAL
CSM Oradea – Steaua Bucharest 12:11 (4:2, 1:4, 1:0, 2:2, PSO 4:3)
CSM Oradea (scorers in regular time): Inaba 3, Popoviciu 2, Cyenk 1, Szabo 1, Georgescu 1.
Steaua Bucharest: Marinic 3, Fulea 1, Solanakis 1, Iudean 1, Vatrai 1, Goanta 1.
