Corona Brasov W vs Ramnicu Valcea W

The defining moment arrived in stoppage time. With the clock past 60 minutes, Andreea Popa was fouled while breaking on the counter-attack, earning Corona a 7-metre penalty. Magda Balsam stepped up and converted, giving Corona a 25–24 lead with no time left on the clock for Vâlcea to respond.

Corona had been trailing for virtually the entire match — around 58 of the 60 regulation minutes — and won it on the final throw.

Magda Balsam — The Romanian right winger kept her composure to convert the decisive 7-metre penalty after the regulation 60 minutes. Balsam, a summer signing for Corona, justified her arrival with ice-cold execution under maximum pressure.

Andreea Popa — The Romanian international was constant threat on the left flank. She won the crucial stoppage-time foul that secured the match-winning penalty and had been central to Corona's second-half recovery.

Bent Dahl — The Norwegian head coach, installed this summer after Bogdan Burcea's departure to Dunărea Brăila, made decisive tactical interventions. Both of his time-outs — at 1–5 and 11–17 — produced immediate scoring runs from his team.

Renata de Arruda — The Brazilian goalkeeper, another key summer arrival from Gloria Bistrița, made vital saves in the closing stages to keep Corona within touching distance.

The 25–24 scoreline tells only part of the story. For 58 minutes Râmnicu Vâlcea dictated proceedings, holding a lead that stretched to six goals (17–11) early in the second half. Corona's ability to absorb that pressure and score in bursts — especially the three-in-a-row after each Dahl time-out — points to improved squad depth.

Vâlcea's collapse in the final seven minutes, when a 23–21 lead evaporated, will concern Florentin Pera. His side coughed up the momentum entirely, managing only one goal in the last seven minutes of regulation while Corona scored four.

Corona Brașov advance to the Super Cup final on Sunday 23 August at 17:30 local time, where they will face the winner of the second semi-final between hosts Gloria Bistrița and CSM București (played later on Saturday at 15:00). The winner takes the first trophy of the 2026–27 Romanian women's handball season.

Râmnicu Vâlcea drop into the third-place match on Sunday at 15:00. For a side that reinforced heavily over the summer — adding Grace Zaadi, Inger Smits, Ștefania Stoica and Emilie Arntzen — the semi-final exit is a bitter start to the campaign.

This was Corona's first competitive match under Bent Dahl, who replaced the long-serving Bogdan Burcea. A one-goal win against a title rival by way of a last-second penalty is as emphatic a statement as a new manager could hope for.

A game that Râmnicu Vâlcea controlled for 58 minutes but lost in the 60th. Corona's resilience and Dahl's sharp in-game management flipped a match that seemed decided. The Super Cup final on Sunday now carries real intrigue for the season ahead.