Șumudică's CFR Cluj debut ends in 3-0 thrashing by Corvinul Hunedoara; Craiova held to draw

Marius Șumudică's return to Romanian football management began disastrously as his CFR Cluj side suffered a resounding 3-0 defeat against newly promoted Corvinul Hunedoara in the fifth round of the Superliga. The match, played in Arad, marked a significant upset for the multiple-time champions.

Corvinul Hunedoara, playing in the top flight after promotion, took an early lead in the 43rd minute through Antoniu Manolache, who scored from inside the box. The home team continued their dominance in the second half, with Ivancevic adding a second goal in the 70th minute, a decision confirmed after a VAR review. The deficit could have been larger, but CFR Cluj's Drazic hit the post in the 85th minute.

Corvinul sealed their impressive victory with a third goal from Goodlad in the 89th minute. The scoreline could have been even more lopsided, but CFR's goalkeeper Vâlceanu made several crucial saves, including one in added time.

Following this result, Corvinul Hunedoara climbs to fifth place in the league table with 8 points. CFR Cluj, meanwhile, languishes in 13th place with only 3 points from four matches, though they have a game in hand. Șumudică faces an immediate challenge to turn around the team's fortunes.

In another Superliga fixture, Universitatea Craiova could only manage a 1-1 draw against Oțelul Galați. Despite playing with a numerical advantage for over an hour after Alexandru Crețu was sent off in the 29th minute, Craiova conceded a late equalizer. Monday Etim had opened the scoring for Craiova in the 57th minute, but Teodor Lungu's long-range strike in the 87th minute secured a point for the hosts, who have proven difficult to beat at home.