Universitatea Craiova struck twice in six first-half minutes to beat Egnatia 2-0 at Stadionul Ion Oblemenco, Alexandru Cicaldau and captain Nicusor Bancu doing the damage in the club's first home Conference League win of the campaign.
Cicaldau opened the scoring on 26 minutes and Bancu doubled the lead on 32, finishing a move created by Carlos Mora. Craiova peppered the Egnatia goal with 20 shots, and the Albanian side's misery was completed seven minutes from time when defender Eneo Bitri was sent off for a second yellow card. The Romanians move to seven points, unbeaten after three matches.
Two goals in six minutes break Egnatia
Craiova began the night still searching for a first home win in this league phase, and they played like a side determined to settle that question early. The pressure built steadily through the first quarter — corners, crosses and a series of efforts from distance — before the breakthrough arrived on 26 minutes. Cicaldau, pulling the strings in midfield, arrived in the box to finish and make it 1-0, a goal that released the tension inside the Ion Oblemenco.
Six minutes later the home crowd had the second goal it craved. Mora created the opening down the flank and Bancu, the captain, finished it — a fitting scorer on a landmark night for the club, the long-serving left-back leading by example at both ends of the pitch. At 2-0 down inside 32 minutes, Egnatia were chasing shadows, and the full match data in the Sportradar match centre shows how relentless Craiova were: 20 shots across the 90 minutes, wave after wave of pressure.
The second half was a procession of home chances. Craiova could — and probably should — have won by four or five, but a combination of wayward finishing and desperate Egnatia defending kept the scoreline respectable. The visitors' evening then got worse on 83 minutes when Bitri collected his second yellow card and was dismissed, leaving Egnatia to see out the final minutes with ten men.
Cicaldau and Bancu set the standard
There is something fitting about Craiova's two most influential figures settling this game. Cicaldau's intelligence between the lines gave the hosts control from the first whistle, and his goal was a midfielder's finish — timed run, composed strike. Bancu, meanwhile, remains the heartbeat of this team: captain, set-piece threat, and now the scorer of the goal that effectively ended the contest.
Egnatia, to their credit, refused to collapse after the red card, but they offered almost nothing going forward and will be relieved the damage stopped at two. Their Conference League campaign is not over, yet nights like this — outshot 20 efforts to a handful, a man sent off, barely a foothold in the game — show the level they must reach to compete in the league phase.
So what does this win actually mean?
Craiova move to seven points from three matches, unbeaten, with a first home Conference League victory banked and real momentum behind them. The knockout rounds, which would have felt ambitious in August, now look a realistic target — and if Cicaldau and Bancu keep producing at this level, even a top-eight finish and a direct place in the round of 16 cannot be ruled out. The contrast with other sides still chasing rhythm in this competition is stark; our report on Atalanta's frustrating 1-1 draw with Kairat Almaty shows how easily these nights can slip away, which makes Craiova's ruthlessness all the more impressive.
For Egnatia, the red card for Bitri adds a suspension to a difficult night, and they return to Albania needing results quickly to keep their play-off hopes alive.
Beyond the Final Whistle verdict: Efficient, emphatic and led from the front by their captain — this was the night Craiova announced themselves as serious players in this season's Conference League. Seven points, unbeaten, and a home crowd starting to believe. How far can this Craiova side go in Europe — and is Bancu now the most important player at the club? Let us know what you think in the comments.
