Krimson Keeps XEFA Guessing Over Title Credentials

It was a game of two halves - or should that be two matches - for Mihai Cristian's fading Rapid Pitesti players and Rafa Popovic's glittering King Krimson outfit. Both beat each other in quick succession, but it was the manner of the Bosnian team's victory and subsequent defeat that will no doubt have a big say on where the XEFA Premier title goes to this season.

Krimson drew first blood, smashing Pitesti 5-1 with Aleksandar Stepanovski in particularly scintillating form. Stevan Jovetic opened the scoring for Popovic's team, finishing off a well worked move, before Jo equalised from a corner for the opposition. The home team then ran riot, taking the lead again through a Nikola Zigic headed goal before Stepanovski added a third.

Jovetic completed his brace by heading in a corner and Stepanovski made Pitesti's misery complete with a stunning solo effort that surely deserves to be nominated for goal of the week.

However, it was a different story when Cristian demanded an immediate rematch, which Popovic accepted without hesitation. Jo once again demonstrated why he is one of the best strikers in the game, opening the scoring by heading in a pinpoint Danilo Rios cross. He then added a second by converting one of the typically dangerous Pitesti corners.

Late sub Cristian Nazarith then sealed the defeat by taking advantage of Krimson's inability to deal with a cross to slot in the third. Popovic was at a loss to explain how he won one game so convincingly, only to be beaten quite soundly the next:

I felt the second match was tight but my team attacked throughout. However Rapid scored with one long pass after a break, one corner as usual, and the last one at the death after I tried to come back into the match.

Meanwhile, Cristian was typically bullish after defeating Krimson:

It's important to learn from defeats. I saw where I was weak in the first game, I made two little changes and the game went my way.

While the Pitesti title challenge seems to have faded away, Krimson's hope of ending Dueling Dragons' grip on the league depends on which team turns up to play their remaining crucial matches: the one which is famed for its fabulous attacking play, or the one that seems to be creaky at the back.