Football Flash

International footballer Razvan Rat announced he would retire from competition.

Florin Orban, 19.07.2018, 13:01

Romanian football team CFR Cluj already know their opponent in the Champions League’s second preliminary round. They are Swedish side Malmo, a team that in the first preliminary round ousted Drita of Kosovo. Malmo grabbed a 2-nil home win Tuesday night in the second leg of the tie, thanks to goals scored by Carlos Strandberg and Eric Larsson. We recall that in the first leg Malmo had secured a 3-nil win.

Malmo are title holders for the 2017 edition of Sweden’s championship, seven points up from the runner-up squad, AIK of Stockholm. Malmo was the launching pad for the famous Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Romania’s champion team CFR Cluj will play their first leg at home on Tuesday, July 24th. The return leg is scheduled on Wednesday, August 1st, in Malmo.

Until their debut match in the European competition season, CFR Cluj play the opening game of the 2018-2019 edition of domestic League One’s championship. On home turf, CFR Take on FC Botosani, a team that emerged 2nd in the play-out of the previous season.

For the championship about to start this coming weekend, CFR Cluj are favorites to winning the title, according to bookmakers. The second most favorite team are Bucharest squad FCSB.

In a TV show on Wednesday, the international footballer Razvan Rat announced he would retire from competition. Agerpres news agency quoted 37-year old former left-back as saying he found it increasingly difficult to find his motivation. In the last part of the previous season, Rat played for Poli Timisoara, the team that was relegated to the second league. Razvan Rat began his career with Rapid Bucharest, and in 2003 was transferred to Shakhtar Donetsk a team he played for until 2013. Among other titles, Rat won the UEFA Cup and Ukraine’s championship, seven times. Razvan Rat also played for West Ham United, Rayo Vallecano and PAOK Thessalonica. His record includes 113 caps for the national team, for which he scored two goals. Razvan Rat made his debut with the national squad on February 13, 2003, in a match pitting Romania against France. It was a confrontation Romania lost, 2-1.