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Astra Giurgiu

Full name	Asociația Fotbal Club Astra Giurgiu
Nickname(s)	Astralii Giurgiuvenii (The Giurgiu People) Dracii negri (The Black Devils)
Short name	Astra
Founded	18 September 1921; 97 years ago (1921-09-18) as Clubul Sportiv Astra-Română[1]
Ground	Marin Anastasovici
Capacity	8,200[2]
Owner	Ioan Niculae
Chairman	Dănuț Coman
Manager	Costel Enache
League	Liga I
2017–18	Liga I, 5th
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours Third colours
Current season

Asociația Fotbal Club Astra Giurgiu (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈastra ˈd͡ʒjurd͡ʒju]), commonly known as Astra Giurgiu, or simply as Astra, is a Romanian professional football club based in the city of Giurgiu, Giurgiu County, currently playing in the Liga I.

Founded in 1921 in Ploiești, Prahova County, as Clubul Sportiv Astra-Română,^[1] the club spent the majority of its history in the lower leagues. Only after late 1990s, when taken under the ownership of businessman Ioan Niculae, the club began to achieve success, with a premiere promotion to the top of the Romanian football league system in 1998. In September 2012, the team was moved from Ploiești to Giurgiu.^[3] At the end of 2015–16 season, the side led by head coach Marius Șumudică won a historic championship title, at the same time ending a three-year successful run of FC Steaua București.^[4]

Domestically, Astra's major honours include one Liga I, one Cupa României and two Supercupa României. On the international stage, their best performance is reaching UEFA Europa League's round of 32 in the 2016–17 season.

The colours of the club are white and black, hence the old nickname Dracii negri (The Black Devils). Red, which is present on the current crest, was worn on many occasions on away kits.

History

Founding, early years and lower divisions (1921–1996)

On 18 September 1921, the weekly newspaper Ecoul Sportiv announced the founding of the Clubul Sportiv Astra-Română ("Astra-Romanian Sports Club") by the Astra-Română Society, an oil-company owned by Henri Deterding and based in Prahova and composed of English, American and Dutch officials.^[1][5]

Initially, the club consisted of several football sides based in towns from the entire county. In the summer of 1934, the refinery organised the inaugural edition of a tournament open for all the Astra teams, called the Astra Societies Cup. The matches were played in the town of Moreni. At the time, the refinery had only one team, Astra Română Câmpina, that was playing in the district championship. In order to make the cup more attractive, the society created three new football sides for the event: Astra Română Moreni, Astra Română Boldești and Astra Română Unirea Hârsa. After the 1937 edition of the Cup, the society decided to merge all of its Prahova teams and thus created Astra Română Ploiești on 29 May 1937. The team was registered in the district championship. Just a few months after the team's foundation, the society changed its name to Columbia and moved it to a ground located near the society's headquarters, in Câmpina. In May 1945, Astra Română Ploiești was reformed and played its home matches on the old Columbia Stadium, a stadium that still exists today in Ploiești and is used as a training ground by the team.

In the summer of 1992, Astra were promoted for the first time to the Divizia C. The following seasons it finished 6, 12, 3 and 14 in the championship.

Ascent under Niculae's ownership (1996–2013)

In the summer of 1996, the club merged with Danubiana București, it changed its name to Danubiana Ploiești, and played for the first time in the Divizia B. After one season the club changed its name back to Astra. Since that year, Ioan Niculae has been the owner of the team. In 1998, Astra were promoted to the Divizia A for the first time. They played at this level for five consecutive seasons, until 2003, when it merged with Petrolul Ploiești.^[6] Two years of pause pass for Astra, until 2005, when Ioan Niculae founded once again the club directly in the Liga II. It was relegated to the Liga III after only one season. In the summer of 2007, under the name of FC Ploiești, the team promoted back to the Liga II. In 2009, after six years, it finally promoted back to Liga I, with promotion achieved at the end of the 2008–09 season. It changed its name back to the traditional Astra Ploiești and the black and white colours were brought back, hence the team's old nickname, "The Black Devils".^[7]

After 91 years in Ploiești, in September 2012, the club moved to Giurgiu.^[3] The last match played in the Astra Stadium was on 2 September 2012, against Bucharest giants Dinamo București, won by Astra 1–0. The first game played on the Marin Anastasovici Stadium was on 23 September 2012, against Gaz Metan Mediaș. Astra won 4–0.

It qualified for the first time to the UEFA Europa League at the end of the 2012–13 Liga I season, after finishing 4th in the table.

The 2013–14 season was the most successful season in the club's history, reaching 2nd place in Liga I, losing the title by only five points to Steaua București and winning the Romanian Cup on penalties against the same team, Steaua. One month later they defeated Steaua București on penalties again, and won the Romanian Supercup.

First European participations and Șumudică era (2013–2017)

Astra Giurgiu played its first European match ever in first qualification round of UEFA Europa League against Domžale, winning 1–0 in the first leg. In the second leg in Bucharest, Astra won 2–0 and qualified. In the second qualification round, Astra draw 1–1 with Omonia in the first leg in Bucharest and beat 2–1^[8] in the second leg in Nicosia to advance.^[9] Seeded team after eliminating Omonia, Astra was drawn in third qualification round with Trenčín and qualified after winning 3–1 the first leg in Dubnica nad Váhom and drawing 2–2 in the second leg in Bucharest. In play-off, Astra faced the very first European defeat in a 0–2 against Maccabi Haifa in the first leg in Haifa, thus being eliminated after drawing 1–1 in the second leg in Bucharest.^[10]

Astra qualified directly in the third qualifying round after winning the Romanian Cup and met Slovan Liberec, winning both legs 3–0 in Giurgiu and 3–2 in Liberec, this time being the first European match to take place in Giurgiu. In the play-off round, Astra met Olympique Lyonnais, defeating them away in Lyon in a 2–1 win, with Kehinde Fatai and Constantin Budescu scoring the goals of victory.^[11] In Giurgiu, Lyon won 1–0 but Astra Giurgiu went on to the group stage phase due to the away goals rule. They were subsequently drawn in Group D alongside Red Bull Salzburg, Celtic and Dinamo Zagreb.^[12] Astra began their group stage adventure with a harmful 1–5 defeat at Stadion Maksimir in Zagreb against Croatian champions Dinamo, ending with Aurelian Chițu scoring their first goal in the group stages of a European cup. On 2 October 2014, Astra played Red Bull Salzburg one of the most important matches held on Marin Anastasovici Stadium in Giurgiu. Astra took the 1–0 lead with Takayuki Seto's goal, but were stunned by Jonatan Soriano's winner, losing 1–2. On matchday 3, Astra faced Celtic at Glasgow in a match which ended 1–2. On matchday 4, Astra hold Celtic in a 1–1 draw at Giurgiu, with William Amorim scoring the equaliser that brought their first group stage point. On matchday 5, Astra won 1–0 against Dinamo Zagreb with Sadat Bukari's winner, and secured its first ever victory in the Europa League group stages.^[13] Astra's Europa League campaign concluded at Red Bull Arena in Salzburg with another heavy 1–5 defeat to Red Bull. Astra ended in fourth place with four points, behind Salzburg (16 points), Celtic (8) and Dinamo (6).

Marius Șumudică led Astra to the 2015–16 Liga I title, the first in the history of the club.

On 28 April 2015, Marius Șumudică was appointed as the new head coach, following Dorinel Munteanu's resignation.^[14] It would be Sumudica's third term at the club, following two short spells in 2009 and 2011. His first game in charge was a 2–1 away victory against rivals Petrolul Ploiești. He eventually led the team to a fourth-place finish, assuring qualification for the 2015–16 second round of the UEFA Europa League.

In the second round of the Europa League, Astra were paired with Inverness Caledonian Thistle, which resulted in a 1–0 Astra win on aggregate after a goal from Constantin Budescu.^[15] The third round proved to be extremely difficult, however, as Astra was drawn with English club West Ham United. A surprising 2–2 draw at London, followed by a 2–1 victory in Giurgiu,^[16][17] qualified Astra for the play-off round, where they faced Dutch club AZ. A 3–2 home victory for Giurgiu was not enough to see Astra qualified to the group stage as AZ won the reverse match in Alkmaar 2–0, thus ending the club's European campaign.^[18]

In the domestic league, Astra managed to impress. Despite having a poor start which included a severe 1–5 defeat from vice-champions ASA Targu Mures, the Astralii managed to finish the regular seasons champions. During this time, however, manager Marius Șumudică was convicted of betting on domestic matches,^[19] prompting his suspension by Romanian FA for the remainder of the season. On appeal, Șumudică managed to reduce his suspension to two months, and also begin to apply at the start of the 2016–17 Liga I.^[20] On 1 May 2016, after a draw between FC Steaua and Pandurii Tg. Jiu, Astra Giurgiu won the 2015–16 Liga I.^[4] This was Șumudică's first domestic title, and also made Giurgiu the 13th Romanian city to have won a national title, after Bucharest, Timișoara, Ploiești, Arad, Craiova, Cluj-Napoca, Pitești, Oradea, Brașov, Reșița, Urziceni and Galați. Astra also later won the 2016 Supercup against CFR Cluj.^[21]

Astra qualified for the UEFA Champions League, but were quickly eliminated by Danish side Copenhagen.^[22] Astra reached the play-off round of the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League and faced West Ham, which they also met – and defeated – one year prior. The club defeated West Ham 0–1^[23] in London and reached the group stage of the Europa League, where they were drawn in Group E alongside Roma, Viktoria Plzeň and Austria Wien.^[24] Despite having zero points after two rounds, Astra Giurgiu managed to defeat Viktoria Plzeň and Austria Wien in away matches; this, in addition to a 0–0 draw with Roma and Austria Wien's failure against Plzeň secured Astra's place in the tournament's round of 32, where they faced Genk. A 2-2 draw at Giurgiu followed by a defeat, 0-1 in Belgium ended Astra Giurgiu's best european campaign in history. ^[25]

In the league, Astra had a very disappointing campaign, struggling for the majority of the regular season in the second half of the table. However, a fantastic streak of 8 consecutive wins ^[26] allowed the Giurgiu club to finish 3rd in the regular season, and to qualify for the play-offs of 2016-17 Liga 1. The good form didn't last however, as they managed to gather just 5 points in the play-offs and eventually finished 6th. On 27th May, Astra lost the Romanian Cup Final against FC Voluntari after a penalty shootout,^[27] however because FC Voluntari didn't apply early enough for a European License to participate in the 2017-18 Europa League, the vacant spot was given to Astra, thus qualifying yet again in Europe.

Recent history (2017–)

In the summer of 2017, head coach Șumudică left Astra Giurgiu after his contract expired and was replaced by Edward Iordănescu, and also the first-team squad was almost entirely changed.^[28][29]

Crest and colours

Emblem

The present crest was adopted in July 2009, following the team's promotion from Liga II. The design is based on a classical template, and is characterized by the same black and white stripes which could be found on the team's shirts. The numerous stars which adorn the crest have their origin in the club's name, with Astra (like Steaua) being a Romanian word which translates as "The Star".

Kit

Currently, Astra Giurgiu's primary colors are white and black, although the kit design also included red on many occasions, especially on away outfits.

Grounds

Marin Anastasovici Stadium

Astra plays its home matches in Giurgiu at the Marin Anastasovici Stadium, which has a current capacity of approximately 8,500 spectators.^[2] With the club having moved here since September 2012, the former Astra Stadium in Ploiești now acts as a training ground.

Support

Rivalries

After Astra's premiere promotion to the Divizia A in the summer of 1998, its few fans engaged in a grudge with their cross-town rivals Petrolul Ploiești. Often, the matches between Astra and Petrolul ended with clashes between the supporters. Most Astra fans consider Petrolul as their main rivals, however Lupii galbeni regard Rapid București as their principal arch-enemies. The conflict was kept despite Astra's move to Giurgiu,^[30] and the match is sometimes referred to as Fostul derbi al Ploieștiului (English: Former Ploiești derby).

A mild rivalry also existed with FC Steaua București; in early 2016, during the time when the two clubs fought for the league title, the officials of both sides often engaged in disputes via press conferences.^[31] On the other hand, following that period Astra accepted to sell some of its best players to the capital-based team, including eventual Romanian Footballer of the Year winners Denis Alibec and Constantin Budescu. In addition, a 1–0 win of FCSB in Giurgiu even led to accusations of match fixing in March 2018.^[32]

Honours

Domestic

Leagues

• 
  Liga I
  
  
  
  • 
    Winners (1): 2015–16
    
  
  
  • Runners-up (1): 2013–14
    
  
  
  
  

• 
  Liga II
  
  
  
  • 
    Winners (1): 1997–98
    
  
  
  • Runners-up (1): 2008–09
    
  
  
  
  

• 
  Liga III
  
  • 
    Winners (1): 2007–08
    
  
  

Cups

• 
  Cupa României
  
  
  
  • 
    Winners (1): 2013–14
    
  
  
  • Runners-up (1): 2016–17
    
  
  
  
  

• 
  Supercupa României
  
  • 
    Winners (2): 2014, 2016
    
  
  

Rankings

Pos. Team Points 119 Persepolis 121,5 120 SuperSport 121,0 121 Astra 119,5 122 Frontale 119,0 123 RB Leipzig 119,0

Pos. Team Points 105 Rijeka 13,500 106 Rostov 13,500 107 Astra 12,500 108 Sheriff 12,250 109 Apollon 12,000

Players

First team squad

As of 10 March 2019^[35]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK David Lazar 3 DF Risto Radunović 5 DF Constantin Dima 6 DF Florin Bejan (Vice-captain) 7 FW Denis Alibec 8 MF Ciprian Biceanu 9 FW Jacques Zoua 10 FW Azdren Llullaku 11 MF Valentin Gheorghe 13 MF Neluț Roșu 18 GK Miguel Santos 19 DF Mihai Butean 20 MF Radu Chiriac 21 DF Erico

No. Position Player 22 MF Gabriel Șerban 24 MF Filip Mrzljak (Captain) 25 DF Mike Cestor 27 DF Radu Crișan 29 DF Andrei Trușescu 34 GK Cristian Nedelcovici 52 MF Romário Pires 88 FW Julien Bègue 90 FW Vahid Hambo 95 MF Romario Moise 96 MF Silviu Balaure 98 FW Raul Gavîrliță 99 MF Dragoș Gheorghe

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 15 MF Robert Boboc (to Mioveni) 78 MF Sebastian Culda (to Ocna Mureș)

No. Position Player — DF Mircea Popescu (to Metalul Buzău) — DF Mădălin Răileanu (to Metalul Buzău)

Club officials

Current technical staff Role Name Manager Costel Enache Assistant Manager Cătălin Munteanu Goalkeeping Coach Ionuț Boșneag Fitness Coach Alessandro Cittadino Club Doctor Mircea Miu Masseurs Viorel Roman Dennis Negoiță Vergil Gheorghe Storeman Dumitru Radu Last updated: 17 November 2018 Source: Technical staff

Management Role Name Owner Ioan Niculae President Petre Buduru Executive President Dănuț Coman General Manager Gabriel Cazan Economic Director Georgeta Apostol Team Manager Mihai Matei CCJ Director Gheorghe Rohat Responsible for Order and Safety Mihai Ion Press Officer Marian Dima Last updated: 29 December 2018 Source: Executive president, General manager

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Period	Kit manufacturer	Period	Shirt partner
2009–2012	Adidas	2009–2012	InterAgro
2012–2016	Puma	2012–2016	InterAgro
2016–	Joma	2016–2017	Tinmar
		2017	Maurer Imobiliare
		2018–	Tinmar

Records and statistics

League history

Cup history

League Cup history

European Cups history

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
2013–14	UEFA Europa League	1Q	Domžale	2–0	1–0	3–0
		2Q	Omonia	1–1	2–1	3–2
		3Q	AS Trenčín	2–2	3–1	5–3
		PO	Maccabi Haifa	1–1	0–2	1–3
2014–15	UEFA Europa League	3Q	Slovan Liberec	3–0	3–2	6–2
		PO	Lyon	0–1	2–1	2–2 (a)
		Group D	Red Bull Salzburg	1–2	1–5	4th
			Celtic	1–1	1–2
			Dinamo Zagreb	1–0	1–5
2015–16	UEFA Europa League	2Q	Inverness Caledonian Thistle	0–0	1–0	1–0
		3Q	West Ham United	2–1	2–2	4–3
		PO	AZ	3–2	0–2	3–4
2016–17	UEFA Champions League	3Q	Copenhagen	1–1	0–3	1–4
	UEFA Europa League	PO	West Ham United	1–1	1–0	2–1
		Group E	Viktoria Plzeň	1–1	2–1	2nd
			Roma	0–0	0–4
			Austria Wien	2–3	2–1
		R32	Genk	2–2	0–1	2–3
2017–18	UEFA Europa League	2Q	Zira	3–1	0–0	3–1
		3Q	Oleksandriya	0–0	0–1	0–1

Notes

• 
  1Q: First qualifying round


• 
  2Q: Second qualifying round


• 
  3Q: Third qualifying round


• 
  PO: Play-off round

European cups all-time statistics

As of 9 March 2018

Notable former players

The footballers enlisted below have had international cap(s) for their respective countries at junior and/or senior level and/or more than 100 caps for FC Astra Giurgiu.

Notable former managers

References

External links

• Official website


• 
  FC Astra Giurgiu on Facebook
  


• Club profile on UEFA's official website


• Club profile on LPF's official website