Din. Bucuresti vs Timisoara

The match kicked off at 17:30 local time on Digi Sport 2. Dinamo, coached by Portuguese tactician Paulo Pereira, established a slender 10–9 lead by the 15th minute, but a powerful mid-half surge pushed the advantage to 16–11 by minute 26. At the break, the red-and-whites held a commanding 19–13 cushion. The second half followed a similar pattern: Dinamo maintained relentless pressure, stretching the lead to double digits by the final whistle. The 35–25 scoreline mirrored the 10-goal margin that has long defined this fixture.

Timișoara stayed within a single goal (10–9) through the opening 15 minutes, matching Dinamo's pace and showing the grit captain Cristian Fenici had promised in pre-match comments. But Dinamo's firepower — built around the core of Iancu, Lenbroch, Langaro, and Martins — clicked into gear midway through the first half. A 6–2 run between the 15th and 26th minutes effectively ended the contest before half-time. Timișoara, missing suspended head coach George Buricea and led by caretaker duo Sorin Sărăndan and Andrei Păiuș, could not recover from that deficit.

Robert Militaru, Dinamo's captain, led by example. Speaking to Gazeta Sporturilor before the match, he said: "We want to show that we are ready for a memorable season, and we can only do that by playing at maximum capacity, leaving no room for surprises." His side delivered exactly that.

Dinamo's fluid attack, featuring the likely starting seven of Iancu, Lenbroch, Langaro, Martins, Vujovic, Nistor and Iturriza, rotated effectively throughout. Veteran Marius Sadoveac was Timișoara's standout, driving much of his side's offence. He told GSP ahead of the fixture: "We are aware of the opponent's value, but we trust our team and the work we have put in. We will enter the court focused, united, and with the desire to give everything for Poli Timișoara."

Cristian Fenici, Timișoara's captain, had emphasised the team's strong preparation in pre-season — four friendlies including wins over Tatabanya (35-32), RK Jugovic Kac (31-29) and CSM București (39-32) — but the step up in class against Romania's dominant force proved too great.

The on-page head-to-head record shows the scale of Dinamo's historical dominance: 10 wins, 1 draw and 0 Timișoara victories from 11 meetings since 2021, with Dinamo unbeaten in the entire series. The 35–25 result is emblematic of this fixture's one-sided nature — the average total of 60.7 goals per meeting reflects high-scoring affairs, but Dinamo have consistently been the driving force behind those totals. Dinamo's first-half display (19-13) set the tone; a +6 margin at the break translated into a +10 full-time scoreline, illustrating that sustained defensive organisation rather than a single burst defined the outcome.

Dinamo advance to Saturday's Super Cup final, where they will face the winner of the second semifinal between CSM București and HC Buzău (played Friday at 20:00). For Paulo Pereira's squad, this is the first step in a season that carries a Champions League group-stage campaign against Barcelona, Montpellier and Aarhus. Timișoara drop into the third-place match on Saturday (17:30, Digi Sport 2) and will also focus on their European Cup debut this season after finishing fourth in the 2025/26 Liga Națională.

With 10 consecutive domestic titles and now a Super Cup final appearance booked, Dinamo have sent an early-season message: the Romanian handball crown still runs through Bucharest. Timișoara, for all their encouraging pre-season form and the unity Fenici spoke of, face the familiar reality of a widening gap to the country's benchmark side.

Dinamo were ruthlessly efficient from start to finish, never allowing Timișoara to build the momentum that might have turned the semifinal into a genuine contest. The champions' depth — forged in pre-season friendlies against Sporting Lisbon, FC Porto and Benfica — was on full display. Timișoara competed for 15 minutes but lacked the firepower to sustain a challenge. The 10-goal margin was a fair reflection of the gap in class.