FC Argeș Beat Dinamo 2-1 With 90th-Minute Winner, Ending Winless Run
Mamadou Mendy's stoppage-time goal gave FC Argeș a 2-1 win over Superliga leaders Dinamo, ending a 10-match winless run and handing Dinamo their first league defeat in four months.
Correction, Nov. 7, 2026: An earlier version of this article appeared mostly in Romanian, placed the match in Pitești and said FC Argeș last lost a league game at Petrolul. The match was played in Mioveni, and the Petrolul defeat was Dinamo's. The article has been rewritten in English.
MIOVENI, Romania — Mamadou Mendy struck in the first minute of stoppage time on Friday to give FC Argeș a 2-1 win over Superliga leaders Dinamo Bucharest, ending a 10-match winless run for the hosts and handing Dinamo their first league defeat in four months.
The winner came from a costly error by Dinamo defender Nikita Stoinov. Argeș had not won since Aug. 9.
How the match turned
Dinamo had the first big chance. In the fifth minute, Verreth found Soro inside the six-yard box, but the ball came off Soro's knee. Armstrong answered for Argeș in the 11th, cutting inside and shooting just wide of the far post.
Bogdan Andone's side then took hold of the half, pressing so effectively that Dinamo saw little of the ball for 30 minutes. A run of crosses and set pieces brought the opener in the 37th minute, when Rober Sierra scored from a Dorinel Oancea corner after a rare hesitation by goalkeeper Alaa Bellaarouch.
Dinamo did not put a shot on target before the break.
The second half belonged to the visitors, at least on possession. Argeș sat deep to protect their lead, and Dinamo struggled to break through until Dean Zandbergen's cross was turned into his own net by Leard Sadriu.
A second goal looked close. Zandbergen hit the post, and seconds later Cîrjan forced Nikic into a stretching save from outside the box. In the 77th minute, Zandbergen picked out Karamoko at the edge of the six-yard box, only for Karamoko to miscue from an ideal position.
Then came Stoinov's mistake, and Mendy made it count.
What the result changes
Dinamo had led the Superliga for almost three months and had gone unbeaten in the league since July. Their previous league defeat came in the opening round, 1-0 at Petrolul.
For Argeș, the three points ended a drought that began in the heat of summer.
Two clubs with a long history
The teams have met 97 times in the league, by GSP's count. Argeș reached Romania's top flight as Dinamo Pitești, on the orders of the Interior Ministry, and their best-remembered meeting came on June 24, 1979: Dinamo 3, FC Argeș 4, a game still known as "the most beautiful championship final," with Dobrin crowned champion in the capital.
Mioveni carries its own weight for Dinamo. Three and a half years ago the club secured its return to the top flight at this ground. Argeș won 4-2 that day, but Dinamo's 6-1 first-leg win was enough.
