Cluj derby
 
CFR fans (top) and Universitatea fans (bottom)
|
|
| Locale | Cluj, Romania |
|---|---|
| Teams |
CFR Cluj Universitatea Cluj |
| First meeting |
CFR Cluj 1–3 Universitatea Cluj 1947–48 Divizia A (7 December 1947) |
| Latest meeting |
Universitatea Cluj 1–0 CFR Cluj 2014–15 Liga I (10 April 2015) |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 36 |
| Most wins | CFR Cluj (16) |
The Cluj derby (Romanian: Derbiul Clujului) refers to football matches between CFR Cluj and Universitatea Cluj, the most popular clubs in the Romanian historical region of Transylvania.
Most of Romanian sport media claims that the Cluj derby is an ethnic rivalry between the team of the Hungarian minority, represented by CFR Cluj, and the team of Romanians, which would be Universitatea Cluj. CFR was founded in 1907 as Kolozsvári Vasutas Sport Club ("Cluj Railway Sports Club"), and Universitatea in 1919 under the name of CSU Cluj.
According to journalist Răzvan Toma, the first match between the two teams was played on 13 October 1920, when CFR thrashed Universitatea 8–0 on a field based in the Cluj-Napoca Central Park.
The first Liga I match between CFR and Universitatea took place on 7 December 1947 when Universitatea Cluj won 3–1, obtaining its first victory over CFR Cluj which was playing for the first time in that competition after merging wth Ferar Cluj.
Since Universitatea spent most of its history in the top tier of the Romanian football, and CFR in the lower leagues, the rivalry was almost forgotten until the 1970s. CFR earned promotion in Divizia A in 1969 and the two clubs again met. In the first three seasons together in the first division, Universitatea won the most meetings until 1972, when beat 1–0. Since then, though being the underdog in the major part of its history, CFR never lost again to Universitatea. In 1975–76 season, both CFR and Universitatea were relegated to Divizia B. In the two seasons spent in the second tier together, CFR remain undefeated, even in the 1977-78 season, when Universitatea promoted back, while CFR remained in the second division. Since then, for the major part of their histories, Universitatea spent ages in Divizia A, while CFR was a piece between second and third tier.
In 2004, however, CFR again earned promotion in Divizia A and remained undefeated against Universitatea. From then, CFR became one of the most important teams in Romania, winning three league titles (in 2008, 2010 and 2012) and playing in European competitions, most notabilly UEFA Champions League group stages, while Universitatea became the underdog team in Cluj. On 7 May 2008, CFR beat Universitatea, the match having different aftermaths for both teams: while CFR won its first league title, Universitatea relegated to the second division. In 2010–11 season, Universitatea promoted back in Liga I (newly re-branded Divizia A) and finished 8th place, ahead defending champions of Romania, CFR (10th place), but failed to win a match against the former champions. The next season, CFR won its third league title, while Universitatea again finished 8th place. In 2013–14 season, on 24 March 2014, Universitatea beat CFR 2–1, ending a 42-year period without victory against their major rivals, but CFR qualified for UEFA Europa League, while Universitatea avoided relegation.
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