Farewell to the Fans (CFR Cluj - Pandurii Tg. Jiu 1-1) - May 30, 2009

CFR only managed a draw in the last match of the season in Gruia. In the end, a draw was the most fair result, even though Pandurii probably deserved the win more than the home side. Pandurii seemed like the better team, and CFR certainly did not have an easy match as most predicted. Today's showing raises many concerns about the state of the team with less than two weeks to go until the cup final against Timisoara.

CFR Cluj (4-1-4-1): N. Claro - Tony, Vieira, Alcantara, Panin - Dani - Dubarbier, Mara (Deac 33'), Peralta (Ruiz 60'), Culio - Y. Kone

Pandurii Tg. Jiu (4-2-3-1): Stanca - Popeta, Martinovic, Chibulcutean, Cardoso - Stanga, Murgan - Vasilache (Pirvu 80'), Tremonti (Tilinca 57'), Grecu - Raskovici (Arrieta 73')

CFR's performance in the first half was absolutely dreadful. Pandurii had three huge scoring chances early on, including Martinovic missing one-on-one with Nuno Claro. Finally, the visitors scored off of a corner kick when the same Martinovic headed the ball across goal and in. Near the break, Tony's pass found Yssouf Kone wide open in the opposing half and Kone hit the ball home from 20 meters out.

The second half was much more even with chances at both ends of the pitch, but no change in the final score. Tony and Peralta both could not find the back of the net, while Pandurii missed another one-on-one opportunity early in the half.

Player-by-Player Analysis:

N. Claro 6.5: Saved several shots and the goal was no fault of his.

Tony 5.5: Moved up too much leaving his side open.

Vieira 5: He let Markovic slip past his marking in the first half. Vieira needs to gain more experience.

Alcantara 6: He has to be more careful when tackling. Otherwise, he was secure and confident.

Panin 5.5: Did not support the offence at all and mediocre in defense.

Dani 5: He left central midfield far too open. The visitors had too much space in this area.

Dubarbier 4.5: It's difficult to remember whether he actually made a decent pass the entire game! His speed and talent were useless against a tight defense, and he did not withdraw to help out Tony and Panin.

Peralta 6: Although he did not have any notable accomplishments, he did open up the game by constantly passing to create space.

Mara 5: Did not do anything of note during the short time he was on the field.

Culio 5.5: Culio passed well in midfield, but overall he slowed down the tempo of play by holding onto the ball too much.

Y. Kone 6: Scored a goal and hindered the visiting defense from doing their job properly.

Substitutes:

Deac (33' for Mara) 6.5: Probably CFR's best player. Deac constantly created space for himself and his teammates. He also ran back to help out the defense often. He should be given more chances to play.

Ruiz (60' for Peralta) 5: Nobody really noticed his presence.

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