Rapid took control of the biggest match of the third round in the Superligă with a quick burst from Alex Dobre, who scored twice in five minutes to send the hosts 2-0 up against CFR Cluj in Giulești.
The match, published on 2 August 2026 and updated later the same night, did not begin on time. Kickoff was delayed until 21:36 after objects were thrown onto the pitch before play could start, and the opening moments were already tense.
That tension showed early in the 7th minute when Aioani received a yellow card after colliding with Drazic. Rapid then continued to press, and the opening phase belonged to the home side.
There was another big moment at 20 minutes when Vâlceanu made a major save to deny Bubanja, but Rapid kept pushing forward. The breakthrough came in the 28th minute, when Alex Dobre scored to make it 1-0.
Just five minutes later, Dobre struck again. His second goal in the 33rd minute extended Rapid's lead to 2-0 and changed the derby's momentum almost immediately.
Rapid's early edge changed everything
The speed of the double strike mattered just as much as the scoreline itself. CFR Cluj had already been forced to absorb early pressure, and the two-goal burst left them with a much tougher task in a match that had already carried extra weight because of the crowd and the delayed start.
About 11,000 fans were in attendance, and Dobre made sure the atmosphere matched the occasion. After the second goal, he summed up the reaction simply: "Tot stadionul este în picioare".
For Rapid, the opening 33 minutes offered exactly the kind of start they wanted in a derby that was billed as the most important game of the round. For CFR Cluj, the challenge became clear almost as soon as the match settled into rhythm: respond quickly, or let Rapid keep building on a dominant first half hour.
