Corvinul Hunedoara was eliminated from the Europa League after being defeated by HNK Rijeka with a score of 1-0, on Thursday evening, in the second leg of the second preliminary round of the competition.
Florin Maxim, coach Corvinul Hunedoara. PHOTO: Facebook
After the draw, 0-0, in the round, the vice-champion of Croatia entered the field determined to open the score quickly to escape the pressure of qualification in the next round. Offensive actions followed each other quickly at the Corvinu goal, goalkeeper Lefter being put to the test many times.
First, Pasalic escaped on the counterattack, but the Romanian goalkeeper went to the ramp, managing to reject a shot from approximately 14 meters on the right side. Then followed the missed chance by Fruk, a player who in the 10th minute tried to deflect a ball centered from the left from 5 meters wide, but it went wide.
Corvinul countered, but Manolache (8th minute) sent a header from the corner very slightly over the crossbar of the goal defended by Zlomislic.
The offensive forcing of the hosts paid off in the 12th minute, when Ivanovic found Petrovic with a pass at the short corner, and he managed to send it into the net from 4 meters. A minute later, the score could become 2-0, but the same Lefter rejected a Jankovic shot with his foot.
Corvinul tried to build, to push the game into the opponent’s field, but until the break, he had only one more opportunity through Pîrvulescu, after a shot from 25 meters, which went past the opponent’s goal.
HNK Rijeka ended the half on the same note as it started, attacking. Radeljic sent a header from a corner taken by Pasalic from the right, but Lefter miraculously repelled it once again.
Immediately after the break, the Croatians created a double opportunity (minute 47). First, Ivanovic’s shot was rejected by the Romanian goalkeeper, and then Petrovic shot wide from an ideal situation.
In the 48th minute, the coach of the hosts had to replace the goalkeeper Martin Zlomislic, injured in the head after being hit by Sergiu Bus, who received a yellow card.
Corvinul started to count more seriously in the offensive after an hour of play, when Neacşa shot from 30 meters from a free kick, but the ball did not hit the goal area. A few minutes later, Lupu also scored an opportunity, the ball shot from 16 meters to the long corner being held back with difficulty by the opponents’ new goalkeeper, Josip Posavec.
Rijeka managed to send the ball into the net for the second time, but the goal scored by Radeljic’s header (64th minute) was disallowed by the referee for a foul on the goalkeeper.
The formation led by Florin Maxim had the chance to equalize in the 74th minute, when the goalkeeper Posasevic fouled Hrezdac in the box, and the center awarded a penalty. However, Sergiu Buş missed the shot from 11 meters, sending it far over the goal (76th minute).
Until the end, the winner of the Romanian Cup put pressure on the opponents, but despite the 10 minutes of overtime dictated by the Norwegian referee, they failed to equalize.
Corvinul Hunedoara will continue its European journey in the Conference League, where it will play in the third preliminary round against FC Astana (Kazakhstan). The winner of the Romanian Cup would be the host in the first match.
Second preliminary round of the Europa League
Thursday: Rijeka – Corvinul Hunedoara 1-0 (0-0 in the round)
Second preliminary round of the Conference League
Thursday: Neman Grodno – CFR Cluj 0-5 (0-0 in the round)
Thursday: University of Craiova – Maribor 3-2 (0-2 in the round)
Second preliminary round of the Champions League
Wednesday: Maccabi Tel Aviv – FCSB 0-1 (1-1 in the round)
HNK Rijeka – Corvinul Hunedoara 1-0 (1-0)
He scored: Dejan Petrovic (12)
Rijeka, HNK Rijeka Stadium
Europa League – 2nd preliminary round (second leg)
The teams evolved:
HNK Rijeka: 13. Martin Zlomislic (1. Josip Posavec 53) – 28. Ivan Smolcic, 5. Niko Galesic (captain), 6. Stjepan Radeljic, 32. Marijan Cabraja – 18. Lindon Selahi (12. Emmanuel Banda 72) – 87. Marco Pasalic (45. Ante Majstorovic 89), 8. Dejan Petrovic, 10. Toni Fruk (30. Bruno Bogojevic 72), 4. Niko Jankovic – 11. Franjo Ivanovic. Trainer: Zeljko Sopic.
Unused reserves: 7. Nais Djouahra, 9. Jorge Obregon, 21. Silvio Ilinkovic, 22. Noel Jakac, 27. Simun Butic, 29. Andro Babic, 41. Gabriel Rukavina.
Corvinus: 12. Ştefan Lefter – 10. Alexandru Neacşa (captain), 6. Viorel Ştefan Lică, 30. Antonio Manolache, 98. Mihai Velisar (8. Antonio Bradu 46) – 11. Roger, 97. Denis Hrezdac (23. Ion Craș 85 ), 31. Desley Ubbink (14. Andrei Hergheligiu 90+5) – 7. Marius Lupu, 9. Sergiu Bus (27. Lucas Câmpan 90+5), 19. Nicolae Pîrvulescu. Trainer: Florin Maxim.
Unused reserves: 1. Cristian Blaga – 3. Ionuţ Pop, 15. Alexandru Predică, 17. Darius Alexandru Grigore, 18. Timotei Mitran, 20. Alexandru Gîrbită, 26. Ibuchi Goodnews Chukwu, 33. Marius Chindriş.
Referee: Sivert Oe˜ksnes Amland; assistant referees: Alf Olav Rossland, Tom Harald Groenevik; fourth official: Marius Hansen Groetta (all from Norway)
Video Assistant Referee: Clay Ruperti; video assistant referee: Mohammad Usman Aslam (both from Norway)
UEFA observer for referees: Dejan Filipovic (Serbia); UEFA delegate: Metin Kazancioglu (Turkey)
Yellow cards: Bus (49), Manolache (90+1), Lefter (90+7) / Posavec (74), Pasalic (75), Sopic (77), Galesic (78).
