Romanian clubs face mixed results in early European qualifiers

Universitatea Craiova CFR Cluj KuPS Tromso IL European qualifiers

Universitatea Craiova travelled to Kuopio and drew 1‑1 with Finnish champions KuPS in the first leg of the Europa League third‑round preliminary tie. Ștefan Baiaram opened the scoring in the 39th minute, but Jaime Moreno equalised with a header from a corner in the 72nd minute. The match was halted late in the second half when KuPS forward Calvin Kabuye collapsed on the artificial surface and was taken to hospital.

In the Conference League, CFR Cluj suffered a 0‑5 defeat at home to Norwegian side Tromso IL, marking the club’s heaviest European loss on Romanian soil. Goals came from Heine Larsen (twice) and a hat‑trick by Isak Dahlqvist. The defeat prompted club financier Ioan Varga to dismiss coach Antonio Folha, announce a possible overhaul of the coaching staff, and consider former national coach Edi Iordănescu for the job. Varga also hinted at a future move to UTA Arad. The loss intensified criticism of the squad and led to goalkeeper Andre Moreira being replaced at halftime.

Both Romanian clubs now await the second‑leg matches, with Craiova hoping to secure a win in Bucharest and CFR Cluj looking to regroup ahead of the return fixture in Tromso.

Entities

Andrei Coubiș · Antonio Folha · CFR Cluj · Calvin Kabuye · Filipe Coelho · Gigi Becali · Ioan Varga · Jaime Moreno · KuPS · KuPS Kuopio · Kuopion Keskuskenttä · Lia Olguța Vasilescu

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 2 SOURCES] Craiova’s coach Filipe Coelho said the artificial surface is a challenge but not an excuse. www.gorjeanul.ro
[● 4 SOURCES] Universitatea Craiova will play KuPS Kuopio on 6 August 2026 in the first leg of the Europa League third‑qualifying round in Kuopio. www.gorjeanul.ro · jurnalul.ro
[● 2 SOURCES] The match will be held at Kuopion Keskuskentta stadium, which has artificial turf and a capacity of about 4,778 spectators.
[○ 1 SOURCE] Mayor Lia Olguţa Vasilescu posted on Facebook wishing Universitatea Craiova success, saying “the match must be won”.
[○ 1 SOURCE] CFR Cluj coach Antonio Folha warned the Tromsø match will be difficult and noted that Marian Huja and Viktor Kun are unavailable due to medical issues. jurnalul.ro
[● 2 SOURCES] If CFR Cluj defeats Tromsø, they will meet Brighton & Hove Albion in the play‑off round. jurnalul.ro
[○ 1 SOURCE] Former Romanian international Dan Nistor predicted CFR Cluj will have a hard time against Tromsø, citing the Norwegian team’s higher market value.
[● 4 SOURCES] CFR Cluj will host Tromsø in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League third‑qualifying round on 6 August 2026 in Cluj‑Napoca. jurnalul.ro · www.tuttomercatoweb.com