The encounter
Steaua qualified on penalties 4–3 · aggregate 2–2
Match cassette · results and dates
Romanian club’s score first.
- 16 February 2005 · AwaySteaua București 0–2 Valencia (Spain)
- 24 February 2005 · HomeSteaua București 2–0 Valencia (Spain)
Valencia arrive as holders
Steaua București faced the defending UEFA Cup champions in the 2004/05 round of 32. Valencia won the first leg 2–0 in Spain, leaving Walter Zenga’s side with a two-goal deficit to recover in Bucharest.
Cristea restores the tie
On 24 February 2005, Andrei Cristea scored twice in the second half at Ghencea. The 2–0 result levelled the aggregate score at 2–2. Extra time brought no further goal, so penalties decided qualification.
A shoot-out to remember
Steaua won the shoot-out 4–3 and eliminated the holders. The match combined a second-leg comeback with successful qualification, making it a landmark result in the club’s European history.
The holders under pressure
Valencia brought both a two-goal lead and the status of defending champions to Bucharest. In difficult conditions, Cristea scored twice to erase the deficit and force the tie beyond 180 minutes. Penalties settled what neither extra time nor the aggregate score could: Steaua continued and the holders departed.
The campaign continues
The victory earned a round-of-16 meeting with Villarreal. Steaua’s UEFA Cup journey ended there, but the comeback against Valencia remains a memorable achievement within that campaign.
Explore the archive
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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