Romania – may be the football played was not very good, but the championship was one of the most tightly competitive in Europe in 1977-78. No overwhelming leaders, no ‘segments’ in the table – the difference between the 3rd and the 17th was only 8 points. Goal-difference determined final places for many clubs, including those at the very top. Everything and anything was possible this season. The only exception was FCM Resita, an early outsider settled at the very bottom. They finished last. At 17th place was Petrolul (Ploesti) with 30 points – 10 more than FCM Resita, but 2 less than FC Constanta. Petrolul still won 11 matches and scored 41 goals – not bad for a club at the bottom of the table. FC Constanta took 16th place because of worse goal-difference – they and Politehnica (Iasi) had 32 points each. Unlucky, FC Constanta – 14 wins in 34 championship games was not bad at all. Their goal-difference was also not bad for a team at the bottom of the table – negative, of course, but not elsewhere clubs with similar result were more likely to be in mid-table, not in the relegation zone: 42-49. But… Politehnica (Iasi) finished with positive goal-difference – 43-39. Something extremely rare for a 15th placed club. A goal-difference better than the 9th placed CS Targoviste (28-33) and the 8th placed Corvinul (Hunedoara) (44-43), and equal to the 7th placed Jiul (Petrosani) – 53-49. And this unusual goal-difference saved them from relegation: FC Constanta, Petrolul, and FCM Resita went down.
Yet, the relative parity was just relative – the traditional leaders still stayed at the top of the table. None appeared to be in crisis, plummeting down, except Rapid (Bucharest), already in the Second Division. Universitatea (Craiova) finished 6th and Dynamo (Bucharest) – 5th, but they were not far away from the medalists – rather, they lost the race by a hair to either luckier, or more concentrated adversaries.
With 38 points, Sportul Strudentesc (Bucharest) finished 4th.
The ‘Students’ were notoriously up and down club, but they had a good spell at that time, enjoying larger role in Romanian football.
Politehnica (Timisoara) clinched bronze medals – they also finished with 38 points, but had better goal-difference than Sportul Studentesc. Also, they were the surprise story of the championship.
An old club, Politehnica traditionally played a minor role, often playing in the Second Division. Thus, they were expected to be found somewhere in the lower half of the table, most likely lucky to escape relegation, or, if having ‘strong’ season – to be in the comfort zone in mid-table. The club was established in 1921 and went through name changes – CSU, Stiinta – until their current name came along in 1966-67. It was traditionally attached – and run by – the Polytechnic Univerisity of Timisoara. A ‘students’ club – one of the 4 ‘students’ clubs playing in the Romanian First Division that year. To be among the leaders and win medals was unheard of, so they pleasant surprise not only for their fans. Their sudden rise deserves one more look:
The team was not much, but they a star – Dembrovschi. May be enthusiastic year, may be solid and experienced squad, but they played well. It was the best ever season of Politehnica. It was their their very first medal. It was great – and remained great, for so far this season was not neither bettered, nor matched. The best ever season of the club.
Arges (Pitesti) finished second with 41 points. The 1970s were perhaps the strongest years in the club’s history and there was no end of them yet. Along with Sportul Studentesc, Arges won the most matches this season – 18. But in attacking minded and tough Romanian league wins went hand in hand with losses – 11. May be this, may be their a bit weak strikers placed them second – on goal-difference.
For those following Romanian football at the time the squad was familiar for some time. Led by one the best Romanian players in the 1970s Dobrin. Tough luck… Arges lost the title just by few goals.
Exciting race to the end with two clubs finishing with equal points. Scoring – not defense, for both candidates ended with equal number of balls in their nets – 49 – clinched the title. The champions were more than familiar – Steaua (Bucharest). One more title for them.
Difficult victory, thanks to their strikers, scoring 75 goals – Arges scored 15 less! May be Steaua undererformed a bit, for certainly they had the best squad in the league with about 10 national team players – but all is well when ends well. Steaua repeated their success of the previous year – two consecutive titles and the selection pretty much was a promise for a third in a row. No major changes – the squad was the same as in the year before, but it was not an aging team. Their still young coach Emerich Jenei perhaps should be credited with the success in the last second: he was not the famous Jenei yet, but already making a difference.