Universitatea Cluj players protest denied penalty claim against Rapid

Universitatea Cluj played Rapid in the final match of round 11 of the Romanian SuperLiga on October 12, 2026. The game concluded with a 3-2 victory for the visitors from Bucharest.

The home side took an early lead when Marius Ștefănescu scored in the second minute. Lassine Macalou had also found the net for Universitatea Cluj in the 73rd second of the match.

Rapid responded quickly. Mohammed Kamara equalized in the 13th minute from a corner delivered by Olimpiu Moruțan. Filip Stojilkovic then gave Rapid a 2-1 lead in the 24th minute, also assisted by Moruțan.

Stojilkovic scored his second goal in the 51st minute to make it 3-1. Moruțan provided his third assist of the match on that occasion. Rapid led 3-2 at halftime and maintained that scoreline during the key controversial incident later in the game.

Drammeh reduced the deficit for Universitatea Cluj in the 54th minute. The goal came after an error by Rapid goalkeeper Ungureanu. The score stood at 2-3 in favor of Rapid following this strike.

A controversial moment occurred in the 56th minute. Cristiano Bergodi's team requested a penalty kick after Sheriff Sinyan allegedly handled the ball. The incident involved a duel between Sinyan and Marius Ștefănescu, where the ball hit the defender's arm as he attempted to clear it.

Referee Rareș Vidican did not award the spot-kick despite protests from the Universitatea Cluj players. VAR officials Adrian Cojocaru and Claudiu Marcu did not recommend a monitor review for the potential handball.

Jovo Lukic received a yellow card from Vidican for protesting the non-penalty decision. The referee remained firm in his choice not to intervene.