The draw recorded by FK Miercurea Ciuc in Cisnădie, 2-2 with CSC Șelimbăr, and, in particular, the victory of Unirea Slobozia in Mioveni, score 1-0 with CS Mioveni, both played on Wednesday, in the 6th stage of the play-off of League 2, decided, mathematically, from a sporting point of view, the first promoted from the 2023-2024 edition in the SuperLiga.
Unirea Slobozia achieved a historic performance both for the club and for the municipality of Slobozia, but not for Ialomița county, which in the first league also had Unirea Urziceni, a team that won the championship in 2009, with Dan Petrescu as coach.
- From this moment, with four rounds left to play, in the League 2 play-off, the second place that can be directly promoted, which is now held by Gloria Buzău, and the two positions that lead to the promotion play-offs, occupied by FK, are still available Miercurea Ciuc and CS Mioveni. CSC Şelimbăr and Corvinul, ranked 2nd and 3rd at the moment, teams that do not have the right to promotion, are removed from the equation.
Unirea Slobozia was promoted to the first league after the victory with CS Mioveni
The leader of the League 2 play-off, Unirea Slobozia, prevailed with the score of 1-0, on Wednesday, in the intermediate round, away to CS Mioveni, and distanced itself to 13 points from the 5th place, FK Miercurea Ciuc, which also today, earlier, they drew away at CSC Şelimbăr, score 2-2, and they can’t even be equaled by the Harghite team, so they are promoted for the first time in the SuperLigă.
Unirea Slobozia struck in extra time of the first half, when Vlăsceanu was fouled in the box by newcomer Davide Massaro, and the experienced Florin Perece (45+3) executed the penalty and scored the goal that would decide the fate of the game. Purece (32 years old), a midfielder acquired by Ialomi in the winter, was the fourth goal scored in ten matches played for Adrian Mihalcea’s team. He scored once more in the games with Progresul Spartac (2-0), in the regular season, FK Miercurea Ciuc (2-0) and CSC Şelimbăr (2-1), in the play-off.
After the final whistle of the referee Mihai Motan, the Ialomi players started the promotion celebration. The joy on the lawn continued in the dressing room, where Adrian Mihalcea’s players, all bare-chested, sang and danced on the manele.
The images with the defender captain Gabriel Lazăr DJ and the company were made public by the club from Slobozia.
“Who entered A, who entered A, the Union is!”was shouted in the locker room by goal scorer Christ Afalna and the other colleagues.
Unirea Slobozia, in the victory with CS Mioveni: D. Rusu – Aioanei (D. Bujor 46′, Dr. Lazar 90′), Gab. Lazar (capt.), Pospielov, Andreș – Coadă, Șt. Pacionel – Cojocari (I. Dinu 46′), Purece (Ekollo 69′), Vlăsceanu – Afalna. Unused reserves: St. Georgescu – Milotin-Cârciag, Mih. Şandru, R. Iancu, Mih. Lumberjack
Four more matches in League 2 for Unirea Slobozia. Stake: win League 2 to receive the trophy
With 53 points, Unirea Slobozia remains in 1st place in League 2, 13 points away from FK Miercurea Ciuc, second ranked below it in the play-off with the right to promotion, given that both teams can still win no more than 12 points in the last four rounds. For this reason, Unirea Slobozia has mathematically advanced to the SuperLigă.
Unirea Slobozia still has to play in League 2, this season, matches with FK Miercurea Ciuc (away, April 27, 11:30), Corvinul Hunedoara (home, May 4, 12:00), Gloria Buzău (away, around May 8) and CSC Şelimbăr (at home, around May 11).
From now on, in the last four stages, the Ialomi players only have the stake of finishing in first place in the play-off, in order to receive the League 2 trophy. A trophy previously received by Dunărea Călăraşi (2018), Chindia Târgovişte (2019), UTA Arad (2020), FCU Craiova (2021), Petrolul Ploiești (2022) and Politehnica Iași (2023).
- Unirea Slobozia was the leader in League 2 this regular season in three stages, 9, 10 and 11. In the play-offs, they climbed to the first place after the end of the first round and remained in this position until now. If he does not win again, he has secured the 1st place for at least two more stages of the remaining four.
Unirea Slobozia was one step away from promotion to the first league in 2014
Unirea Slobozia last promoted to League 2 in the summer of 2020.
Last regular season, 2022-2023, with Constantin Enache as coach, missed the play-off in the last stage, following the application of the ranking in three, because it was tied with Gloria Buzău and Dinamo. Played in the play-out, in Group A, where it ranked 4th out of 7.
The closest to a promotion in the first league was in the 2013-2014 season, when Unirea finished Series 1 of League 2 in 3rd place, tied with Rapid, they went to a play-off with six participants, where before the last stage, the team had two points below Giulești, who occupied the second place, after Poli Iași. The last stage brought a match in Slobozia between Unirea and Rapid, which would end in a draw, score 1-1, after the Bucharest team coached by Viorel Moldovan scored through Andrei Ciolacu (15), and the Ialomi team equalized through Marian Florea (43 ). The coach was also Adrian Mihalcea, who was at the beginning of his career. In the team at that time were Constantin Toma and Florinel Ibrian, also now players at Unirea, but also Romeo Soare, now a member of the technical staff.
The most famous player of Unirii Slobozia is Florin Purece (32 years old), champion in 2017 with Viitorul Constanța.
Adrian Mihalcea (47 years old) is now at his first great performance as a coach: promotion to the first league. He took over the team in the summer, in June 2023, after playing in the promotion play-off with Gloria Buzău last season, which he lost in a double leg to the first-division UTA Arad. Mihalcea is in his third term as a coach at Slobozia, the team of his hometown, after having trained it in the periods of June 2013 – February 2015 and December 2020 – June 2022. In his career he also managed the ACS Berceni, Dunărea Călărași, UTA teams Arad, CS Mioveni, Dinamo, Chindia Târgoviște and Gloria Buzău. He was also second in the national team, under Cosmin Contra.
Photo and video: Union Slobozia
