Steaua earn late draw against Poli Timișoara amid offside controversy and crowd trouble

Poli Timișoara and Steaua played to a 1-1 draw in a Liga 2 match on October 8, 2026. The game opened the ninth round of the league season.

The match took place in Sibiu rather than Timișoara. Local authorities refused permission for the game in Timișoara due to high security risks.

Tensions flared outside the stadium in Sibiu. Steaua supporters clashed with gendarmes, damaging benches. Police used paralyzing spray to control the situation.

Poli Timișoara took the lead in the 63rd minute. Stephan Drăghici scored the goal after receiving an assist from Aurelian Chițu.

Steaua players immediately contested the goal. They argued that Chițu was in an offside position when he received the pass from Iosif Rotariu.

Television replays confirmed that Chițu was clearly offside. However, assistant referee George Turcu did not raise his flag. Referee Mihai-Laurențiu Ene allowed the goal to stand.

The decision stood because Liga 2 matches do not utilize VAR technology. Commentators on Prima Sport 1 agreed the play was offside after reviewing the footage.

Daniel Oprița, the coach of CSA Steaua, stated after the match that the opening goal involved an offside position. He maintained this view despite the result.

Steaua found an equalizer in stoppage time. Adrian Ilie headed the ball into the net in the 90+1 minute under the guidance of Oprița.

The equalizing goal came from an own goal by Romario Benzar. This action in stoppage time ensured the points were shared between the two sides.

Oprița provided updates on his squad’s injury situation. He reported that Bogdan Chipirliu had ruptured his cruciate ligament and would not play for the rest of the season.

Chipirliu had already been injured for nearly two months before suffering this new setback. Oprița noted he recently had 20 players available for training sessions.

Another player, Gonzalez, suffered an injury during the warm-up. He played only one half and was substituted at halftime because the team lacked other strikers.