The encounter
Steaua qualified on penalties 4–2 · aggregate 2–2
Match cassette · results and dates
Romanian club’s score first.
- 14 February 2013 · AwaySteaua București 0–2 AFC Ajax (Netherlands)
- 21 February 2013 · HomeSteaua București 2–0 AFC Ajax (Netherlands)
Two goals to recover
Steaua București returned from Amsterdam with a 2–0 defeat in the first leg of the 2012/13 Europa League round of 32. On 21 February 2013, the Bucharest return offered the chance to reverse that deficit.
Latovlevici and Chiricheș restore the tie
Iasmin Latovlevici scored before half-time. Vlad Chiricheș added the second with a striking effort after the interval, making the aggregate score 2–2. Neither side found another goal during extra time.
An evening that kept changing
Latovlevici’s goal turned the return into a genuine contest, but Steaua still needed another. Chiricheș supplied it, sending the tie into extra time and then a shoot-out. The same Latovlevici who had begun the comeback stepped up for the decisive penalty. The reward was more than a famous home win: Ajax were out and Chelsea were next.
Qualification from the spot
Steaua won the penalty shoot-out 4–2, with Latovlevici converting the decisive kick. The comeback earned a round-of-16 meeting with Chelsea and a memorable place in the club’s European history.
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Sources & image credits
Match results and dates follow the archive records. Reference pages:
Club crest: the image already stored in the club archive, used as a visual identifier rather than a photograph of this encounter.
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