Filipe Coelho is on the brink of a historic double with Universitatea Craiova and could equal a record achieved by only one other foreign coach in Romanian football history. On May 13, Universitatea Craiova secured the Romanian Cup by defeating U Cluj on penalties. The game was a thrilling finale, and now Craiova stands on the verge of clinching the league title as well. This would make Filipe Coelho, at 45 years old, the first coach in the past 11 years to achieve this feat.

Only a few minutes remain before the start of the crucial match between Universitatea Craiova and U Cluj. The Oltenians are playing for the title, with a victory guaranteeing them first place before the final league stage. Coelho, a Portuguese tactician, is poised to secure his second trophy in his first season at the club, a remarkable achievement few coaches have managed.

The last Romanian coach to achieve this double was Costel Gâlcă in 2015. The only foreign coach to do so in modern Romanian football history was Andrea Mandorlini with CFR Cluj in 2010. Emeric Ienei has won this double three times with Steaua București, and Ioan Andone achieved it twice for different teams, Dinamo and CFR.

List of Coaches Who Achieved the Double in Romanian Football

“This is a match that could bring us a new trophy. We know it will be difficult, but as always, we will give everything on the field. We know it will be a different match from the Cup final, but we need to play like we have been. The atmosphere is always good, even in tough moments; the boys are balanced.

We are on our path, trying to achieve beautiful things for the club and the city. It is beautiful after winning a trophy, but it has been good even before. To set the tactics, we need to wait until Sunday. We will see which players recover, and Sunday morning we will make a decision.

I know we need to play with the heart of the city and the supporters, but at the same time, we need to use our minds in the right direction to achieve something special.

First and foremost, I want to thank all the fans for what they have done for us so far. They have been amazing in all moments.

I believe that in the last few months, the connection between players and supporters has been much better and is now strong. The players have shown ambition in all matches. Tomorrow, all supporters will be very important for us; they are part of the team,” said Filipe Coelho.