Farul Defeats Petrolul After Ganea Scores Stunning Opener

Farul Constanța defeated Petrolul Ploiești 2-1 in Ovidiu on October 11, 2026, during the 11th round of the SuperLiga, with Cristian Ganea opening the scoring through a spectacular finish that helped decide the match.

According to Sport.ro, Ganea scored in the fifth minute after receiving the ball from Ionuț Vînă and striking with the outside of his foot from a difficult angle. The shot entered after hitting the crossbar.

Digi Sport reported that before the match Petrolul held fourth place with 19 points from 10 games, while Farul was ninth with 14 points from the same number of matches.

The Farul coach Ioan Ovidiu Sabău said the team needed focus and competitive spirit before facing Petrolul.

"Our thought is to win the match, it is logical and normal. I could not say at this moment what level we are at, how we will look on Sunday, after this fairly long period in which we were out of competition. We tried to bring some players who arrived later and those with health problems to the same level.

I want to see a team capable of fighting every time and not one with its mind elsewhere, apathetic and without the courage to play. The major problem of Romanian football starts here, from the state of mind, emotion. I hope we look good at the time of the game.

Petrolul shows good sporting form, with good results and a fairly good position in the championship. It seems they made some inspired signings. I hope our players who came from national teams are 100% physically and mentally," said Ioan Ovidiu Sabău, Farul head coach.

Sabău prepared his team for a Petrolul side that had been unbeaten in its previous five SuperLiga matches and was managed by Ricardo Sousa, according to Digi Sport.

"Petrolul has not won any points in Ovidiu since being promoted," said Ricardo Sousa, Petrolul head coach.

The Petrolul coach highlighted the challenge of facing Farul and noted the historical record between the teams after promotion.

"We know it will be a very difficult match. They are missing Alibec, a very important player for them, but anyway they will play with 11 players, not 10! We will meet a very good team, with many young players of great quality, and I really want to congratulate those at Farul for the work they are doing.

They were not afraid to use young footballers, and this can only be beneficial for Romanian football. I understood that since returning to the first division, Petrolul has not won any points at Ovidiu. Of course, that matters less, but it is important for the players to know they have the possibility to change this history.

And they can do it now, not tomorrow or the day after tomorrow!," said Ricardo Sousa, Petrolul head coach.

Ganea's goal was compared by Sport.ro to the famous style of Roberto Carlos, the former Real Madrid left-back, because of the difficult angle and outside-foot technique used for the finish.