CFR Cluj took control of Cfr Cluj Vs Voluntari after a frantic opening spell in Gruia, with Andrei Cordea and Stefan Drazic both scoring in a match shaped early by VAR checks, a disallowed goal and a red card. Antonio Folha’s team eventually made their superiority tell, even if the first 12 minutes felt like they could have gone the other way.
The Superliga clash kicked off at 18:30 on 27 July 2026 and began at a sharp pace. FC Voluntari thought they had made the breakthrough when Guțea scored in the 8th minute, only for the effort to be checked in VAR. Two minutes later, another Voluntari goal was ruled out for offside, and the match then tilted decisively when Mihai Roman was sent off in the 12th minute after a foul on Fică.
The red card changed the shape of the game
Once Voluntari were reduced to 10 men, the balance of the contest shifted towards CFR Cluj. That is often how these matches can turn: not simply on quality, but on the ability to stay calm when the early chaos settles. CFR were under pressure coming into the game, with the club still dealing with major financial problems and debts, but they were at least able to lean on a strong recent home record in the league.
There was also added emotion around the fixture, with the match linked to the memory of two former CFR Cluj players who died this summer. That gave the night a heavier backdrop than a normal early-season league game, even before the on-pitch incidents started to pile up.
Cordea and Drazic make the difference
CFR finally made their man advantage count in the 26th minute when Andrei Cordea scored, giving the home side the lead and easing the tension inside Gruia. Then, in the 39th minute, Stefan Drazic marked his debut with a goal of his own, underlining just how quickly the game had moved away from Voluntari.
That second goal was important not only because it extended the lead, but because it gave CFR a much more comfortable platform after a difficult opening spell. For a team that had started the season badly, this was the sort of response that mattered: composed, efficient and able to punish the decisive moment in the match.
Voluntari had their chances to make the contest awkward in the opening stages, but the red card and the two CFR goals left them with too much to do. By the time Drazic scored, the game had already become a test of whether CFR could manage the rest of the evening without allowing the momentum to swing again.
What followed was a reminder that league games are often decided by a handful of key moments. In this one, VAR, discipline and finishing all mattered — and CFR Cluj came through the sequence with the stronger hand.
