At the Ion Oblemenco Stadium in Craiova, Universitatea Craiova defeated ML Vitebsk 1-0 in the second leg of the first qualifying round of the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League. The only goal of the match came from Nicușor Silviu Bancu in the 92nd minute — with the final whistle in sight and the tie long since settled. Progression had already been secured after a 4-1 first-leg victory on neutral ground in Hungary; the Belarusian champions would have needed to overturn a three-goal deficit in the second leg.
First half: Craiova under pressure, but in control
Head coach Filipe Coelho, who had led Craiova into this qualifying campaign as Romanian champions, set his side up in a 3-4-3 system. ML Vitebsk lined up in a 4-1-4-1 formation and looked to press high from the outset, though the home team were never seriously troubled. A moment of concern arrived just before half-time, when two yellow cards were shown to Craiova players in quick succession: Al Hamlawi was booked in the 39th minute, with Etim following three minutes later in the 42nd.
Second half: Triple substitution and growing control
Coelho responded at half-time with a sweeping set of changes: Stevanovic, Heriberto Tavares and Elisor all came on simultaneously in the 46th minute, replacing Romanchuk, the already-booked Etim and Al Hamlawi. Vitebsk made several substitutions of their own from the 53rd minute onwards, but found no way to cut into the first-leg deficit. Rus picked up a yellow card for Craiova in the 86th minute, yet the match remained largely uneventful — until stoppage time.
Bancu decides it in the 92nd minute
Nicușor Silviu Bancu had entered the fray in the 73rd minute as a replacement for Baluta — a substitution that would prove to be the defining moment of the game. The left-back, who has been at Universitatea Craiova since July 2014 and, with over 430 competitive appearances, ranks among the three most-capped players in the club's history, struck in the 92nd minute from an assist by Mekvabishvili to make it 1-0. Mekvabishvili himself had only come on moments earlier, in the 87th minute for Teles. The goal from the Romanian international — who has earned more than 50 caps for Romania — was the only one of the match, and at the same time put the seal on a thoroughly commanding round for Craiova. With an aggregate score of 5-1 across both legs, Universitatea Craiova advance to the next qualifying round of the Champions League.
